NAMED for the Armagh writer, journalist and broadcaster, the inaugural John O’Connor Writing School & Literary Arts Festival will run for three days from November 4 to 6 across Armagh City.
The school will offer participants 10 hours of tutorial in a choice of five streams of study including poetry, fiction, script-writing, songwriting and commercial non-fiction.
"The art of writing is changing and while modern drama, poetry and fiction still fills our worlds, the developments in advertising, blogging and digital use of the language mean new disciplines are emerging," says Cathy McCullough, chief co-ordinator and niece of John O’Connor.
"The John O’Connor Writing School will teach these skills, something few if any other writing schools offer."
Malachi O’Doherty will conduct classes on memoir writing, Horslips musician turned screenwriter Barry Devlin will be joined by co-musician and producer Jim Lockhart to share the secrets of songwriting, while Booker prize winner Anne Enright, award-winning playwrights Martin Lynch and Marie Jones, crime authors Stuart Neville and Martina Devlin will also host classes.
Other participants include Daily Telegraph travel writer Geoff Hill and chef Dean Coppard who will challenge food writers to a 'cook v critics' demonstration.
:: Eighteen literary events will run in parallel to the five courses; see thejohnoconnorwritingschool.com
