A few days from now a large delegation – ten of us – will go to Mexico City . This will be a strong expression of solidarity for Mexican writers and journalists. It will also be unprecedented, with the entire Executive going – Hori Takeaki , Eric Lax and myself – as well as the Chair of the Writers in Prison Committee – Marian Botsford Fraser – and representatives of all four North American Centres, as well as the English and Japanese, all going to stand in public with our Mexican colleagues. Émile Martel, Russell Banks, Adrienne Clarkson, Gillian Slovo, Larry Siems and Adam Somers, as well as Renu Mandhane, head of the International Human Rights Program of the University of Toronto ’s Faculty of Law, will join the Executive.

We will be working with the three Mexican PEN Centres – Mexico , Guadalajara and San Miguel Allende. The culmination of this will be a public event organized by Jennifer Clement, President of PEN Mexico , and her members, involving the delegation and some 50 Mexican writers on Sunday, January 29.

There is also a public letter of solidarity to Mexican writers which I hope you will all sign. It is coming to you separately.

This is not a delegation of experts. It is a delegation of writers using our public voice. And what we do and say will be quickly transmitted to you in the hope that you will respond in your own countries.

This is all part of a sustained Mexican PEN campaign. Recently the Day of the Dead initiative initiated by Jens Lohman of Danish PEN and Tony Cohan of San Miguel PEN, spread our concerns about the threats faced by Mexican journalists throughout our membership. We hope that these new Mexican initiative will take on our campaign a stage further.

The PEN International Website

A lot of you are already sending material to the new website. This is what we need: Centres all over the world telling the rest of PEN about their work and their risks. Please contribute.

Finally, these last few weeks have been moving and historically important for Czech writers and for the belief in freedom of expression that all of us have. First, our former President, Jiří Gruša, one of the leading dissident writers of the post war period died. Then Václav Havel, about whom a great deal has rightly been written around the world. Then Ivan Jirous, whom Paul Wilson called the “leader of the Cultural Opposition”. Jirous was a poet, essayist and leader of the psychedelic rock band Plastic People of the Universe. The struggle to get him out of prison in part inspired the Chapter 77 movement. And finally, Josef Škvorecký has died, another great writer and leading dissident. Living in exile in Toronto he created 68 Publishers in 1971 and for two decades published banned Czech and Slovak writers. The books then made their way illegally back into Czechoslovakia . Of course, there are many more names, but when four courageous and inspired writers die almost together it should be marked as an important moment for all of us in PEN.

Best wishes,

John Ralston Saul

EDIT: The link to the PENProtesta petition against impunity in Mexico is available here

The  IPWWC , the International PEN Women Writer’s Committee.

“The Women Writers’ Committee was set up in 1991 to promote certain issues faced by women writers around the world – challenges at family and national levels such as unequal education, unequal access to resources and actual prohibition from writing.

The committee reaches out to both aspiring and practising women writers through PEN Centres and other organisations and networks, and works with the Writers in Prison Committee on behalf of incarcerated or endangered women writers.

Representatives from the committee attend meetings of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. The committee has held conferences in countries such as Nepal, Kyrgyzstan and Senegal, and has published special newsletters. It uses Facebook to connect the work of women writers to the world. “

The Diversity Blog was launched on the 12/01/2012 and is encouraging women writers to contribute in creative areas ,like translation, poetry and literature. The information and contacts are carried at  this link.  More than ever social-media outlets like Facebook are contributing to new connections between women writers.  PEN International is facilitating these contacts across a variety of platforms which include Websites, Facebook and Twitter. There are currently two discussion groups for members and associates of PEN available on the Facebook platform, the PEN International discussion group (231 members) and the PEN International group of writers sharing opinions and texts.

Members can choose to contribute to these above-mentioned groups , or to link up with their international colleagues through sites like Diversity. Irish PEN has a Facebook account where queries regarding social-media can be sent by direct-messaging, alternatively contacts can be addressed to the Irish PEN  addresses, which I am linking  below here.

Useful Irish PEN Contacts

Irish PEN Phone Number : 087 966 0770

Irish PEN Email Contact : info@irishpen.com

Tweet to @PENireland

The late Caroline Walsh

Irish PEN is very sorry to hear of the sudden death of Caroline Walsh, literary editor of The Irish Times. Caroline was a great friend of Irish PEN. She regularly attended our annual dinners and awards, and she gave mention to our various events through the years. Her mother, celebrated writer Mary Lavin, had been an active member of the Irish PEN committee many years ago. We had looked forward to seeing Caroline again at our award ceremony next February.

Chair of Irish PEN, Joe Armstrong, adds: ‘Caroline was my first editor at the Irish Times, having commissioned me to write the Man Alive column, which ran for a year while Caroline was features editor. I’m shocked by her sudden death. She was a true friend of Irish PEN. We shall miss her.’

We extend our condolences to the staff of the Irish Times and to the literary community. Details and obituary for Caroline Walsh are linked herein.

  Caroline Walsh’s death-notice is linked here  http://notices.irishtimes.com/13195072

Tweet to @PENireland

More than 100 poets from the 5 continents have participated every year since 1989.

The city of Trois Rivieres in on the St Lawrence seaway, half way between Montreal and Quebec. We provide travel for poets to and from Montreal airport.

There are 400 poems on walls in the city. We display 5000 in a park in the town centre during the festival.

The guest poets have only one thing to do – read their poems 2 or 3 times a day, no lectures. But they must already have at least 30 poems translated into French, as Quebec is 80% French-speaking, and our city is 99%.

One of our group will introduce the poet before the reading, read their poem in French, and then the poet will read it in his native language.

There will be about 350-400 readings of poems during the 10 day festival period,

28 September to 7 October.

More than 10000 people will attend 4-7 readings, out of the 40000 attendees.

We offer poets hospitality in a hotel, with a daily allowance for meals and another for readings.

The programme of the 27^th festival is on our website, as well as an incomplete list of previous participants.

For 2012, invitations are only offered to members of a PEN CLUB, but not in future years.

We would like to host an Irish poet every year.          Information is at link :  www.fiptr.com

Tweet

The 90th Anniversary of International PEN occurs in 2012.
This archive piece by PEN American Center sets out some of the
history of International PEN.

International PEN  has much to celebrate with 20,000 writers in 100
countries keeping in touch through conference, committee and widespread
use of social-media. I am including as link , a monthly letter from  John Ralston Saul
to our  International PEN members.

“This past Sunday marked the birthday of English novelist, playwright, and Nobel Laureate John Galsworthy (1867–1933), the first President of PEN International and author of the first three articles of PEN’s charter. As we look forward to our 90th anniversary in 2012, we also look back to our founding principles, which were written in a period with parallels to today’s uncertain climate for free expression. ”

http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=2086

History of the PEN Charter : http://www.irishpen.com/wordpress/history-of-the-pen-charter/
Letter from John Ralston Saul to PEN members  http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/news/monthly-letter-from-john-ralston-saul-to-the-membership

Award winning poet and Playwright Anne Hartigan in conversation with Patrick Mason, Tony Award winning director at the Abbey Theatre.

Where: United Arts Club, 3 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2

When: 8:00 – 9:30 pm

Fee: All events are €3 for members, non members welcome €5

Booking is essential!

Email: info@irishpen.com or Telephone: 087 9660770

Newsletter, Spring 2010

www.irishpen.com.  Tel:  087-966 0770 email: info@irishpen.com  

Irish PEN acknowledges the ongoing support of The Arts Council and Dublin City Council’s Arts Office.

OUT AND ABOUT IN 2010

When we emerged out of hibernation from the early January snow, it was great to have such a range of social events lined up.

January went out with a memorable bang, with the Annual Irish PEN dinner and presentation of The Irish PEN Award for Literature 2010 to Brendan Kennelly held on Friday 29^that the Royal St George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire.   The magical tone of the evening was set by the glorious full moon, which bathed the harbour and moored yachts in a glorious light, and ever the poet, Brendan Kennelly commented on the beauty of the setting, as he made his way out from Trinity to join us. 

It wasn’t long before the room filled with well-wishers, colleagues and members, some of them old friends of Brendan’s.  To those of us privileged to be there, the note of sincerity in all the accolades was set when our Chair, Anne Le Marquand Hartigan, introduced Brendan and his achievements to the gathering in warm and affectionate terms.  Presenting the award, former TCD colleague and close friend, Senator David Norris was his usual effusive self and regaled us with tales of Brendan grading his essays, when the senator was an undergraduate and the poet his ‘prof’.  In his usual extraordinary and humble way, Brendan Kennelly expressed his delight at being honoured by Irish PENand then to everyone’s delight recited several poems from memory, some by Patrick Kavanagh, followed by lines of his own.  The hearty applause which ensued was prolonged and genuine and as several members commented, it was a ‘vintage’ evening, a privilege to share. 

See Photos on www.irishpen.com.

 In February,Our President, Brian Friel, saw his ‘Faith Healer’ back at the Gate and Edna O’Brien’s play ‘Haunted’ starring Brenda Blethyn, had a run at the Gaiety.  Friel fans won’t have long to wait until that theatre lifts the curtain on ‘Philadelphia Here I come’, directed by Dominic Dromgoole, which will run from March 9^th – April 10^th.

Down the road at the National Library, Kildare Street, novelist and elegant octogenarian, Jennifer Johnston co-launched the exhibition of the original Lifelines’ letters, to mark the 25^th anniversary of the project.  The Library has purchased the collection and they make interesting reading.

FEBRUARY ASSOCIATE MEMBER’S EVENING

‘Finding a Home for your Writing’ – our Associate Member night this year was held on February 11^th   2010 in the United Arts Club.

Our expert panel included, Eoghan Corry, editor of Travel Extra and travel correspondent to the Pat Kenny Radio show, Aine Toner, editor of Woman’s Way, and Sue Leonard, freelance journalist and author.

An informative and interesting evening, this helped members, in very practical terms with regards to how to submit articles to both Eoghan and Aine.   From her experience as a journalist, Sue gave a realistic account from the other side of the submission process of how to find an idea, hone it, build business relationships and eventually get your pieces published.  The wide-ranging experience of our panellists made the road home for your writing seem that little bit straighter.

WEBSITE REVAMP

Observant members will have noticed that our website, www.irishpen.com, has undergone something of a facelift.  We are very keen to post information of interest to writers and members and keep it as live and up-to-date as possible.  Log on to see news of recent events.  Sincere thanks to Joe Armstrong for his work on the revamp.  The really sharp among you will have also noticed a changed email address.  The new address is: info@irishpen.com. Over the coming months, we hope to use this address exclusively.  For the purposes of database management, this is an impassioned plea to members to send us mail to our NEW address above, confirming their email, and postal addresses, marking the subject line ‘Full Member database’ or ‘Associate Member database’ as appropriate.  In this way, we hope to be able to communicate more effectively with you all.

Please remember to renew your membership as we depend on the support of our members.  Any outstanding memberships for 2010 may be paid by following the links on the website, www.irishpen.com.  

Full Membership: €40.00        Associate Membership: €30 .00

There is a PayPal facility available.

MEMBERS’ NEWS:

CONGRATULATIONS to Leland Bardwell on being the first recipient of

‘The Dede Korkut Literary Award’, from Turkish PEN for her collection of short stories ‘Different Kinds of Love’, translated into Turkish.

MEMBERS’ PUBLICATIONS:

Sarah Webb’s ‘The Loving Kind’has recently been published by Pan & MacMillan (see www.irishpen.com.)  Marita Conlon-McKenna’s new book ‘Mother of the Bride’ about a big family Wedding was published on March 4^th. 

‘City Pick’ Oxygen Books will feature Dublinlater this month with an introduction to the fifty writers, who bring Dublin to life by Orna Ross.  

Orna may also be found on The Creative Intelligence Blog. 

Patricia O’Reilly’s latest novel ‘A Type of Beauty, the story of Kathleen Newton (1854-1882)’ will be launched at Listowel Writers’ Week, 2010.

About the complications of love, it is set in Victorian era London, Agra and Paris.

Shelley Goodman’s extensive work ‘Volf Roitman: The Wizard of Madi’, a long illustrated biography of her late husband, Roitman, a novelist, playwright, cineaste and master sculptor, will be published by Red Swan Press in the USA and in Italian, by the University of Florence.

OTHER EVENTS:

Dublin Book Festival: Over 40 free events, 100 writers and three days of fun for all the family, Dublin City Hall, March 6^th- 8^th.  www.dublinbookfestival.com. 

Inkwell Workshop:  Writing for Children Workshop, facilitated by best-selling

authors Sarah Webb and Oisin McGann, March 20^th, Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel, Killiney, Co Dublin.  9 – 4.30pm, includes lunch, writers’ tips information pack. €175.  For further information:  Contact Vanessa O’Loughlin at vol@esatclear.ie.

The Irish PEN Award for Contribution to Irish Literature 2009

It is with great pleasure that we announce that the winner of the 2009 Irish PEN Award for Contribution to Irish Literature is Brendan Kennelly.

Poet, personality, raconteur and professor, Brendan has published over 30 books of poetry, which most famously include ‘Cromwell’ (1983/1987), ‘The Book of Judas’ (1991), ‘Poetry me Arse’ (1995) and recent publications ‘Familiar Strangers: New and Selected Poems 1960-2004’ (Bloodaxe, 2004) and ‘Now’(Bloodaxe, 2006).

In a career which spans 40 years, Brendan’s work also includes prose and his Greek play trilogy, Antigone, Medea & The Trojan Women. As Professor of Modern Literature in Trinity College, Dublin, a position he held for 30 years, he is forever associated with that university and its environs, as the native Kerryman made Dublin his adopted home.

The Award will be presented at The Irish Pen Annual Dinner on Friday 29th January 2010 at The Royal St George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Writer, broadcaster and Joyce expert, former TCD colleague Senator David Norris will make the presentation to Brendan.

The Dinner and Award Presentation is one of the highlights of the Irish Pen year and we advise early booking, as the dinner so often gets totally booked out.

Dates for your Diary

Thursday, December 10th: Patricia Scanlan & Aidan Storey, United Arts Club, 8.00pm.

Friday, January 29th 2010: IrishPEN Annual Dinner, Royal St George Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8.00pm

Thursday, February 11th 2010: Associate Members’ Night, United Arts Club, 8pm. Panel TBA.

Other News

Chairperson Anne Hartigan invited an enthralled audience to join her in conversation with Frank McGuiness at the Irish PEN event, 12th November 2009.
Anne’s gentle and intuitive style gave the audience a rare insight into the writer and the man. We learned to our surprise that Frank’s childhood was one devoid of books, despite his subsequent stellar achievement in literature.

Frank relayed how the diversity of his work has seen him writing for rock legends such as Marianne Faithful, who he found very talented and extremely knowledgeable on the subject of music and who calls on him to this day to write lyrics for her songs.

The atmosphere in the United Arts Club remained intimate, despite the packed room, and the appreciative audience warmed to Frank’s anecdotes, one of which recalled how when Monaghan reached a GAA final, one newspaper made a play on his title – ‘Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Sam’, (artistic licence allowed) and Frank joked that it was then that he knew he had arrived.

The evening ended with enthusiastic and prolonged applause for a generous and warm speaker.

Workshops work!

The first full-day Irish PEN subsidised workshop took place on Saturday November 14th to an enthusiastic response from the aspiring novelists who participated. Led by Patricia O’Reilly, novelist, non-fiction author and Creative Writing lecturer, the group covered an extensive range of topics and exercises, relevant to the experienced writers present. The United Arts Club proved a quiet and reflective venue and Anthony and the catering staff looked after all creature comforts, providing an excellent lunch and delicious home-made cake and cookies at coffee time.

Imbued with new energy, the participants broke up in the late afternoon, but not before the vigilant committee members present had persuaded the walk-in writers to take out a Pen membership! Congratulations to Caroline Brady, Associate member representative on her organisation of the day.

Membership Renewal

We would like to remind Members and Associates that it is time to renew your membership for Irish PEN.

Your subscription gives you priority booking for The Annual Dinner and other Irish PEN events, reduced admission to some events and ensures that you are on the newsletter and regular email update list. As a voluntary organisation, we depend on your subscriptions to help fund our busy programme throughout the year.

There is now a PAYPAL button for the payment of subscription renewals on the www.irishpen.com website. Just go to the membership page, then on the appropriate button for members or associates. You don’t need to have a PAYPAL account, merely a credit or debit card to take advantage of this service. This can also be used for the dinner payment.

Full Membership is Euro 40.00 and Associate Membership is Euro 30.00.