STORY IN IRISH TIMES

My story 'Squidinky' from the Silver Threads of Hope anthology for Console is in today's Irish Times. You can read it online here.

JOHN KELLY INTERVIEW

John Kelly with Sinéad Gleeson, at the Silver Threads launch - pic. by Ronan McCall

To celebrate his story appearing in the Console anthology Silver Threads of Hope (New Island), I welcome John Kelly to the blog today for a chat about writing.John is one of Ireland’s best-known broadcasters. 
A SONY, EMA and PPI award winner, he has presented some of the best-loved and most critically acclaimed music programmes on the Irish airwaves. He presents The Works, RTE's arts show, and has published two novels with Jonathan Cape, The Little Hammer and Sophisticated Boom Boom.

Hi John and welcome to WWR. You are an author, broadcaster and journalist. How do you juggle it all? And more importantly, when does the writing get done?

Writing is very important to me – crucial for my own happiness in fact - and so I make sure to find the time somehow. When I was working on From Out Of The City I was getting up at 5 am. And then of course when I’m not actually writing I’m thinking about writing – trying to solve problem – and so I lie awake at night doing that. It’s not ideal but it’s what I do. You have to find a way or it will eat you up.

You have two novels published. I’m curious as to whether you write much short fiction or is the story in Silver Threads, ‘Prisoner’, a new departure for you?

Where are you happiest, in the long haul of the novel, or the short, sharp world of the short story?
 

I can’t claim that I know how to write either but I can get satisfaction from working on both, depending on my state of mind. For the last number of years my novel has been a tyrannical presence but I do have bits of short stories all over the place. On the computer, in notebooks and in my head and I like to think that they’re all fermenting somehow. Who knows? Sometimes I take a notion and I take one out and see how it’s doing. The Prisoner was half-written on holidays in Spain two years ago and when Sinéad called asking for a story for Silver Threads of Hope it forced me to address it properly and finish it. It was also a break from the novel which at that stage was driving me demented.

Who are your favourite short fiction writers and why?

I’ve just finished Daniel Woodrell’s The Outlaw Album and it stunned me. That power to immediately grab, mesmerize and, in various ways, de-rail the reader is what we should all be aiming for in a short story. After each of Woodrell’s stories I felt like a needed a strong drink. I like the Americans – Carver obviously, but also Maile Meloy, T.C Boyle –and many more. I like the high-wire acts. And in Kevin Barry we have one of the very walking among us. I’m a big fan of Kevin’s. He’s the cat’s pajamas.

What story do you love? (You know the one that begs to be re-read over and over.)

 

Call me old fashioned and predictable but I’m rather addicted to The Dead.

I’m sure it was you who introduced me – and An Cumann Gaelach in TCD – to the wonderful Fermanagh writer and poet Séamas Mac Annaidh back in the early 1990s. Is there a healthy writing scene in that county? Is it your touchstone the way Mayo is for Mike McCormack?

Yes. Séamas is an important presence and always was. Apart from his being a long-time friend and co-conspirator in all sorts of carry-on over the years, he was a role model too in that he was a real writer - publishing novels before many of ushad gotten around to even reading novels. He used to talk about Gilbert Sorrentino’s book Mulligan Stew and I’m very conscious that I’m now with Sorrentino’s publisher – Dalkey Archive. They should perhaps think about translations of Seamus’ work. He was ahead of his time and obviously rather isolated in terms of place, and the language in which he chose to write.

In answer to the second part. Fermanagh was, at one point, central to everything I wrote. But not so much now. I left Enniskillen in 1983 and while it’s still the rich land of my childhood and my teens, all my adult life has been elsewhere. The connections are still there but, alas, there aren’t quite so many of them.

What three pieces of advice would you offer beginning writers?

1.Read as much as you can.

2.Write as much as you can.
3.Take your time and don’t publish too soon and with the wrong people.

What can be expect to see next, writing-wise, from John Kelly?

My novel From Out of The City will be published by Dalkey Archive Press in the US and Europe in the Autumn of 2013. To be with Dalkey is such an honour – Markson, Gaddis, Gass etc. I’m talking things slowly now. I have the right publisher and the legendary John O’Brien in Chicago as my editor.  I suspect this might produce a few surprises in terms of what I do because I feel liberated and I feel adventurous. I’ve got the old excitement back and, in my head, I’m starting all over again.

Thanks a million for stopping by, John. Best of luck with all your writing endeavours.

Thank you for your interest and all you do to support books and other writers.

SILVER THREADS OF HOPE LAUNCH

Anthology Editor, Sinéad Gleeson

I dashed to Dublin yesterday for the launch of the charity anthology Silver Threads of Hope (New Island) edited by Sinéad Gleeson. The charity being supported is Console, which is so apt in these times of high suicide rates in Ireland.

I had read most of the stories by the time I got there so it was great to match the writers with their work: John Butler and his funny and wretched story of male friendship 'The Fir Tree'; John Kelly and his story about a money-spinning, west of Ireland dolphin called Finbar; Declan Hughes and his very enjoyable 'Gloria' about a priest and his feisty daughter (his first short story ever, he tells me).

Other writers with stories in the book whom I chatted to included Mary Costello (recently longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award), Colm Keegan, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Keith Ridgway and Peter Murphy. Also there were Declan Meade, editor of The Stinging Fly, journalist Róisín Ingle, writers Jamie O'Connell and Susan Stairs (expect to hear a lot about Susan soon), actor Hugh O'Conor and Seán Rocks of RTÉ's Arena.

Anne Enright and commissioning editor with New Island, Eoin Purcell

The launch took place in the beautiful stuccoed surroundings of The Lost Society in the Powerscourt Town House. Anne Enright, whose idea the book was in the first place, launched the book. She has an extraordinary introduction in the anthology about depresion and suicidal thoughts and the power of the written word '...I believe in the power of fiction, because it examines the way that people are uncoupled or connected, in a safe, imagined place. Sad stories are, sometimes, the most consoling.' Anne is lovely and friendly in person. I was thrilled to meet her (super-fan!) and she signed my copy of the book.

Sinéad Gleeson spoke about editing the anthology and she thanked New Island for their unwavering support; Eoin Purcell of New Island mentioned the publisher's pleasure at supporting such a worthy charity. Paul Kelly of Console spoke very movingly about the charity and its work, and about his sister who took her own life at just 21 years of age. He talked about the devastation that suicide causes within families.

Despite the sad aspect of the charity's cause, the launch was a warm, positive evening of chat and drinks. You could feel people's delight at being included in the anthology and in being able to support Console with their writing. I had to dash back to Galway, of course to get the kids to bed for college, school and creche respectively. But sometimes those are the best nights - the ones where you dip in and dip out and enjoy every minute of your stay.

The book is beautifully produced: a small, dust-jacketed hardback and it is good value at €14.99. There are 28 brand new stories by 28 Irish writers in the book; the writers include Kevin Barry (with a hilarious satire on foodies, Gaeilgeoirs and snobs), Dermot Bolger, Declan Burke, Emma Donoghue, Roddy Doyle, Dermot Healy, Colum McCann, John McKenna and Belinda McKeon. I've even got one in there. It would make an ideal Christmas prezzie for the lit lover in your life.

You can buy it here and in book shops.

SILVER THREADS OF HOPE NOW AVAILABLE

You can now buy short story anthology Silver Threads of Hope, edited by Sinéad Gleeson, online. It will be in the shops from next week. It is being sold in aid of suicide charity Console.

From the New Island site (guess which story is mine??!!):

"From the parodied etiquette of Celtic Tiger dinner parties to the first tentative signs of new found love in a coastal tattoo parlour, the collection features stories that evoke feelings of sadness, happiness and humour.

Read stories by: Kevin Barry, Greg Baxter, Dermot Bolger, John Boyne, Declan Burke, John Butler, Trevor Byrne, Emma Donoghue, Roddy Doyle, Dermot Healy, Christine-Dwyer Hickey, Declan Hughes, Arlene Hunt, Colm Keegan, John Kelly, Claire Kilroy, Pat McCabe, Colum McCann, John McKenna, Belinda McKeon, Mike McCormack, Siobhan Mannion, Peter Murphy, Nuala Ni Chonchuir, Phillip O'Ceallaigh, Keith Ridgway, William Wall and Mary Costello."

SILVER THREADS OF HOPE

 
The cover has been released for Silver Threads of Hope, the short story anthology edited by journalist and broadcaster extraordinaire, Sinéad Gleeson. The book will be published in September by New Island, it contains 28 new short stories by Irish writers and is in aid of Console, the suicide support organisation. Songwriter Adrian Crowley gave permission to use a line from his song 'Bless our Tiny Hearts' as the title and Martin Gleeson designed the cover.

I have a new story in the anthology called 'Squidinky' - it features tattoos (I like what I like), grief and third-age friendship. I know Colm Keegan has a story in there too and I am looking forward immensely to reading all the other writers' stories. I believe they include ones from Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright and Emma Donoghue. Stellar!