Within the West Cork Literary Festival, the Children’s Festival has developed into a rich and varied programme of events for young people, from age four up to teens. Readings and workshops will be given and led by award-winning writers such as Ruth Galloway, Chrissie Gittin, Niamh Sharkey and poet Dave Lordan. Our 2013 offerings are listed below.
FOR TEENS
Friday 12 July, 14.30 / The Mariner / €5
TEEN READING: DAVE LORDAN and participants of the Words Allowed Workshop
Our teen reading will showcase new work by the writers taking part in the Words Allowed teen writing workshop and written during the week of the festival. All are welcome to attend. Expect to be surprised, provoked, and moved, but most of all to be inspired by the writers of tomorrow.
FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
CHILDREN'S READINGS
Approximately 1 hr, but duration may vary.
Monday 8 July, 14.30 / St Brendan’s School Hall / €5
CHILDREN'S READING: JULIE O’CALLAGHAN
Age range: 11+ years
Julie O’Callaghan will read some of her poems for older children, and then take questions and offer some tips on how to think up ideas, bring a poem together, and create a strong voice in your poems and writing.
Julie O’Callaghan’s poems for older children have appeared in numerous anthologies in the U.K. (including the New Oxford Book of Children’s Verse, the Oxford Book of Children’s Poetry and the New Faber Book of Children’s Verse) and in school texts in Ireland, England, America and Canada. Her poems for children are collected in Bright Lights Blaze Out (Oxford University Press, 1986), Cambridge Contemporary Poets 2 (Cambridge University Press, 1992) and in three full-length collections, Taking My Pen for a Walk (Orchard, 1988), Two Barks (Bloodaxe Books, 1998) and The Book of Whispers (Faber & Faber, 2006).
Wednesday 10 July, 14.30 / Maritime Hotel / €5
CHILDREN'S READING: DARREN SHAN UNVEILS HIS RADICAL NEW ZOM-B SERIES
Age range: 11+ years
Zom-B is the epic new series from bestselling children’s author Darren Shan. This radical 12-part series from Darren should have his existing fans and fans of teen horror salivating at the prospect of Zom-B’s heady combination of brain-eating zombies, breathtaking twists, fast-paced action and thought-provoking moral questions that our teenage protagonist, B Smith, has to face: Can you love a bullying, racist thug if he’s your father? How do you react when confronted with your darkest inner demons? What do you do when zombies attack? The first book in a 12-part series was published by Simon & Schuster in 2012
Darren Shan’s track record is phenomenal. To date, over 25 million copies of his books – which include The Saga of Darren Shan and the Demonata series – have sold around the world. It was his epic Demonata series that cemented Darren’s place as The Master of Children’s Horror and which scored him his first UK #1 bestseller. His books are now on sale in every continent, in 31 languages, and have achieved children’s bestseller status in America, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway to name a few, whilst the books have topped adult bestseller charts in Hungary, Japan and Taiwan. Darren lives in Limerick, where he grew up.
Thursday 11 July, 14.30 / Maritime Hotel / €5
CHILDREN'S READING: BEAST QUEST!
Age range: 7-12 years
Calling all valiant Beast Quest fans! Help the good wizard Aduro, in this interactive event, to solve cryptic puzzles and free the beasts from Malvel’s evil spell and participate in a Beast Quest Tournament . . . Also get a sneak peek of Adam Blade’s new series, Sea Quest! Deep in the water lurks a new breed of Beast . . .
Exclusive Beast Quest and Sea Quest goodies for every contestant!
*Adam Blade will not appear at this event
Saturday 13 July, 14.30 / St Brendan’s School / €5
CHILDREN'S READING: CHRISSIE GITTINS
Age range: 6-11 years
Trapped wasps, sweet-smelling pirates, and embarrassing dads: anything is possible in poetry. Come and hear one of the brightest children's poets, fresh from CBeebies Poetry Pie and The Rhyme Rocket.
‘Chrissie Gittins knows just what words can do: she makes them dance, sing, sit still for a moment and then leap across the page with joy!’ Ian McMillan
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOPS
Monday-Wednesday 8-10 July, 10.00-12.00 / Bantry Library / Free
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP WITH GILLIAN PERDUE
Age Range: 5-8 years
Maximum number: 15 children
This workshop will combine storytelling with dance and drama activities and is energetic and noisy! Wear something comfortable that you can move in and be ready for some fun!
Gillian Perdue is a writer and primary teacher based in Dublin. Her first book, ‘Adam’s Starling’ won the Eilis Dillon Prize in the Bisto Book Awards for that year. She is the author of a number of Pandas in the O’Brien Press series of the same name, featuring the brave and fearless character, Conor, who does his own thing, no matter what! In an alternate reality, she also runs ‘dancesteps’, a Dance school based in Rathfarnham. This ensures that she spends her days writing, dancing and teaching all the fun subjects and generally upsetting the peace!
Thursday & Friday 11-12 July, 10.00-12.00 / Bantry Library / Free
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP WITH CHRISSIE GITTINS
Age Range: 6-9 years
Maximum number: 15 children
Come and make your thoughts sing and your words fizz into thin air then fall into a poem. We'll tell lies, launch porkie pies and stretch our imaginations as far as the coast of America. Starting with word games we'll go on to write a group poem before the children begin their own. When we have our first draft we'll think about editing, lay-out and titles. Finally we'll be audience and performers as we hear what's been written.
Chrissie Gittins' children’s poems have won two Belmont Poetry Prizes and been animated for Cbeebies TV. All three of her collections – Now You See Me, Now You …, I Don’t Want an Avocado for an Uncle and The Humpback’s Wail are PBS Choices for the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf and two have been shortlisted for the CLPE Award. Her 'New and Collected' children's poems will be published by Bloomsbury in 2013. Chrissie reading her children's poems features on the Poetry Archive website. She also writes poetry for adults, short fiction and radio drama.
Tuesday 9 July, 14.30 / St. Brendan’s School / €5
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP: MONSTER DOODLE EVENT with NIAMH SHARKEY, Laureate na nÓg / Children’s Literature Laureate
Age Range: 7-10 years
Join picture book maker Niamh Sharkey as she helps you unleash you inner monsters onto a gigantic doodle drawing. Working with Niamh, young participants will fill a giant canvas with all sorts of monsters and mayhem. Get creative and bring all your imagination with you as you draw, doodle and design your way through this fun creative experience. Materials provided.
Niamh Sharkey is Ireland’s second Laureate na nÓg. Author and illustrator of children’s picture books, her books have won numerous awards, including the prestigious Mother Goose Award for the Best New Illustrator and The Bisto Book of the Year for her first two Picture Books; Tales of Wisdom and Wonder and The Gigantic Turnip. Her most recent picture book, On the Road with Mavis and Marge, won the 2010 Junior Book of the Year Award and was shortlisted for the Bisto Book of the Year Awards. Niamh’s books have been translated into over twenty languages. Tales from Old Ireland was included in the International Board of Books for Young People Honour Book List in 2002. She has exhibited her artwork both in Ireland and abroad, and is an active member of Illustrators Ireland. Niamh has also designed sets and costumes for the theatre including the 2004 Barabbas production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Niamh is the creator and co-producer of Henry Hugglemonster – a pre-school series, based on her book I’m a Happy Hugglewug, developed in association with the Irish Film Board and in production with Oscar-nominated Brown Bag Films, for Disney Worldwide. Niamh has worked on every aspect of this extraordinary project. She lives in Skerries with her husband Owen, three children and their dog.
Thursday 11 July, 10.00-11.00 / St. Brendan’s School Hall / €5
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP: AN UNDERWATER ADVENTURE with Ruth Galloway
Age Range: 3-6 years
Maximum number: 30 children
Come on an exciting journey to the bottom of the ocean! There will be silly storytelling, funny puppets, and lots of illustrations that bring to life some of the crazy characters that live in our seas.
Thursday 11 July, 11.30-12.30 / St. Brendan’s School Hall / €5
CHILDREN'S WORKSHOP: POP-UP SHARKS with Ruth Galloway
Age Range: 6-10 years
Maximum number: 20 children
Have some fishy fun creating your own pop-up smiley, silly, or simply scary sharks. Learn how to create paper pop-ups to amuse, entertain and maybe even terrify your family and friends.
Ruth Galloway is an award-winning author and illustrator, who has written and illustrated six children's picture books, and illustrated many more. Her first book, Fidgety Fish, was an instant hit, and has been followed by several bestselling sequels including the award-winning Smiley Shark, Clumsy Crab, and Tickly Octopus. Her books have been translated into many languages, and are enjoyed by children all over the world. She is married with two children, and lives in Berkshire.
