The Kilkenny Arts Office has created a visual map or guide for writers at all stages of their journey, whether just starting out or at a more advanced stage of their writing practice. This Map details the variety of services we provide here in Kilkenny. Below are more detailed descriptions of each service detailed on the Map.
Literature Workshops and Courses
We provide creative writing and poetry courses twice a year, in the Spring and Autumn. These courses are run by professional writers who have substantial experience in providing excellent tuition to writers at every stage of their career. Most courses are open to all levels but from time to time a course may focus just on beginners, intermediate or advanced.
In order to keep up to date with upcoming writing courses for 2022 and beyond it is advisable to sign up to our email database. Simply email deirdre.southey@kilkennycoco.ie and ask to be added to the Literature database.
The Wednesday Weekly sessions are an online casual meeting place aimed at artists across various artforms to explore ideas and network with each other. The sessions are hosted by a number of experienced professionals spanning different areas of the arts industry.
For example the 2022 Wednesday Weekly sessions focused on writers, commencing in the month of April. The sessions were hosted by professionals, such as representatives from The Arts Council, Poetry Ireland and The Irish Writers Centre. Other sessions were hosted by authors such as Hazel Gaynor, Jessica Traynor and Anne Marie Ní Churreaín.
Arts Act Grants
The 2003 Arts Act permits a local authority to provide financial assistance for the purposes of stimulating public interest in the arts, promoting the knowledge, appreciation and practices of the arts or improving standards in the arts. In this act, the expression ‘the arts’ means creative or interpretative expression (traditional or contemporary) in whatever form and includes in particular visual arts, theatre, literature, music, film, literature, dance and Multi-disciplinary practices and events.
Categories
- Groups and Organisations promoting arts
- Kilkenny County Council will consider applications from organisations involved in the promotion of the arts in Kilkenny.
- Individual Artists all Art forms
- Kilkenny County Council will consider applications from practising artists living in Kilkenny to enable them to pursue their practice and to develop within their chosen discipline, including professional development and project awards
The applications for Arts Act Grants 2022 is now closed but you can download the application form below to give you an idea of what the Grant supports and how to make an application:
Poetry Phone and Blog
The Poetry Phone was created by the Kilkenny Arts Office in reaction to the Covid 19 restrictions and for people experiencing isolation. You can simply dial the phone number 1800 272 994 and select a number between 0 and 9, where you will hear a poem by a Kilkenny poet.
The Poetry Phone supports local poets by promoting and widening the audience reach their for their poetry. All poems are recited by experienced local actors and actresses.
For the year 2022 professional writers and local celebrities have been invited to make a selection from previously printed Broadsheets, each selection is unique to the invited curator.
The poems are also uploaded to the Arts Office BlogSpot where a profile is created for each selected poet, further promoting their work.
Poetry Broadsheet
The Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet is a printed publication of poetry written by local Kilkenny poets. The aim of the publication is to give Kilkenny writers a platform for their work. Each year an open call is sent out calling for poetry submissions, on average the Arts Office receives up to 100 poems. An established Irish writer is invited to make a selection from the submitted poems and an illustrator beautifully illustrates the publication.
The Broadsheet has been printed annually sine 2000 and is proud to say that 2022 will be the 22nd issue of the Broadsheet.
Mentoring
Kilkenny Arts Office provides mentoring opportunities for Kilkenny based emerging and established writers. In 2021 we provided mentoring opportunities in both creative writing and poetry with poet Jean O’ Brien and writer Brian Leyden. A total of 7 writers availed of this opportunity which consisted of one to one sessions and critical feedback on their work. The Arts Office also partners with national bodies such as Words Ireland to support Kilkenny writers in their writing practice for more information please visit: https://wordsireland.ie/
Artlinks supports the professional development of creative practitioners, aged 18 and over, who are resident in the Local Authority administrative areas of Kilkenny, Wexford, Carlow and Waterford. The Bursary Programme supports artists in the following categories: Emerging and Professional Artist Awards (Awards between €1,000 – €3,000 approx.)
In order to avail of these opportunities you must become a member of Artlinks, email artlinks.ie@gmail.com to request a membership application form.
Artlinks also offers a Collaboration Award, the aim of this award is to encourage more collaboration between artists across the ArtLinks counties and support artists seeking to expand their practice and networks regionally. The Collaboration Award is open to application by Professional and Emerging Artists who are members of ArtLinks. For this bursary there will be one award of up to €10,000. The award must involve collaboration between artists from two or more ArtLinks counties in the development of new work, to be showcased in two or more ArtLinks counties.
ArtLinks members are encouraged to watch the Kilkenny County Council Arts Office’s Wednesday Weeklies Session, titled Achieving Success In Funding– before starting the application process. A call out for applications is put out by each County at the beginning of each year, the deadline for 2022 applications has passed. It is advisable to join the Kilkenny email database in order to hear of the next call out, email deirdre.southey@kilkennycoco.ie
Residencies
Kilkenny Arts Office provides fully paid residencies to artists of all disciplines to attend one – two week residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annamackerig, Co. Monaghan. The practitioner must be currently based in Kilkenny. They will be selected based upon their previous achievements and the project they intend to undertake during their residency. The selected Artist Residency should take place within 12 months of receipt of their award.
The aim of the Residency is to assist and encourage both established and emerging practitioners, to give them an opportunity to work intensively on a ‘project’ alongside others in a very unique environment.
Please visit the Tyrone Guthrie website at: http://www.tyroneguthrie.ie/
You can download a sample application form and guidelines here: Tyrone Guthrie Application Form 2021
