All posts by Sixpenny

Summer Workshops (May 26th ~ 1/2 Day Dip 10-2)

Summer Camps, Writing Retreats

Take time out for your writing on May 26th and join us for a half-day Writing Workshop at Old Rectory Retreat. By lunchtime Saturday you will have pages of work you didn’t come in with – not bad for a morning. Add to that a delicious lunch and goodies from Róisín’s convivial kitchen and you can’t go wrong. So do something good for yourself and give us a call (087 763 4339).

Price: €25

Consider coming to our 6-day workshop , July 1-6. Intensive, productive and fun, it will be a fantastic week of writing, reading, listening to stories and lots of laughs.

Price: €250  (+ Full Board = €500)

Spring Weekend Writing Retreat

Summer Camps

Join us for our Spring Weekend Writing Retreat at Róisín’s convivial table at Old Rectory Retreat.

We really enjoy these workshops and never know what will be dreamt up! We do know that delicious goodies will come from the kitchen: tea, cake, and homemade lunch.

We start on Saturday at 10:30am and end on Sunday at 2pm. Contact Old Rectory Retreat to book your place.

Deadlines are Useful

Writing Retreats

Deadlines can be very useful to get you focused on completing your work. If you don’t win, you can always add the text to your inventory and submit elsewhere. Here are a selection of upcoming dates for your calendar:

  • Apr 7: Stratford-on-Avon Fringe Festival Contest: Avon Fringe Festival presents a “Realised Play- Script competition. Entries are invited from anyone of any age with a short play to offer” …MORE
  • Apr 14: Narrative Magazine are one of the best online destinations for new fiction of the highest quality. Their “free reading period” runs for the first two weeks of April …MORE
  • May 21: BBC Writersroom is the clearing-house for new writers looking to attract the BBC’s attention across all television and radio channels. They have three Calls for Scripts each year: the Spring Deadline comes in May …MORE
  • 31st May: Bridport Prize has three categories: poems, short stories, and flash fiction …MORE
  • 29th June: The McLaverty Short Story Award is open to writers born in Ireland …MORE
  • 31st July: The Sean Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is a prestigious contest with appealing prizes …MORE

Five Day Workshop Starts January 2nd

Summer Camps

The New Year is coming: want to make your book-writing dream a reality? Sign up for a Five Mornings Writing Workshop starting on January 2nd. Including delicious lunches at the charming Old Rectory Retreat, cost is €200. Hosts Fiona Keane and Fin Keegan of SixPens.com are experienced at stimulating diverse groups of people both to produce and develop their writing. Non-judgemental approach. Call Fiona at 087 763 4339 or hq@sixpens.com

Upcoming Writing Workshops

Summer Camps

Weekly Writer’s Group Meetings = 10 x Thursday Evenings
When: October 6-December 8, 2011 ~ 7.30-9.30pm
Where: Sharkey Hill Community Centre in the Fairways.
Cost: €120 (10 weeks)

Call Fiona 087 763 4339 or email: hq@sixpens.com

In addition, the following workshops will take place this Autumn at Old Rectory Retreat:

  • The Evening Starter: Thursdays 7-10pm (July 28th, Aug 25th, Sept. 29th)
    Cost: €20 per eve (Tea and cake included)
  • The Half-Day Dip: Saturdays 10am-2pm. (Oct. 29th, Nov. 26th)
    Cost €35 (Book 3 weeks in advance – €30) Home cooked Soup/salad included.
  • The Weekend Experience: Fri. 6pm- Sunday 2pm (Aug.12th -14th, Sept.16th-18th, Oct.21st-23rd, Nov.18th-20th) .
    Cost €95 with delicious lunch.
  • Week-Long Writing Retreat: July, 2011, Jan. 2-6, 2012.
    Cost:  €250 with delicious lunches.

Fiona is experienced at stimulating diverse groups of people to put pen to paper in response to well thought-out writing prompts. The aim is to create richly connected characters who may form the genesis of story however short or long (from flash fiction right through to the novel). Your hours will be sweetened by tea and cake (or lunch and dinner for the longer sessions) and good company. Whether you are a seasoned scribe or coming to Róisín’s famously convivial (and productive) table for the first time, we welcome you.

Call Fiona at 087 763 4339 or email hq@sixpens.com

“The Green, The White and The Orange… 3 Tales from Imagined Irish History”

Writing Retreats

Fin and Fiona have short plays being put on by Current Theatrics as part of “The Green, The White and The Orange… 3 Tales from Imagined Irish History” at 3pm July 23 & 24, Abbey Hall Theatre, in Cleveland.

From Fin’s short play Hibernia Rising:

SECOND TREASURE-HUNTER (thinking aloud): What does an Irishman keep under his bed?

SECOND TREASURE-HUNTER takes the gun from the REBEL’s hands, inspects it closely.

FIRST TREASURE-HUNTER: Pot of gold maybe?

GUIDE: Pot of tea?

SECOND TREASURE-HUNTER: [Returning rifle to REBEL] Pot?

Thanks to director Ruth Pe Palileo, producer Tommy Costello, and actors Matt, Boomer, Amanda, Liz, and Corey.

From Fiona’s play History Lesson:

Two characters jump out of their books in the library:
HISTORY WOMAN: The state always had its nose in the wrong business. It should stay out of the bedroom, unless it’s underage business, which they seem good at turning a blind eye to. Condoms or no, I still see a fair amount of unwanted babbies around today. 

HISTORY MAN: Sure they’re all ‘wanted’ at some level. Haven’t you heard of the unconscious?

HISTORY WOMAN: Are they ‘wanted’ just by the mammies or are they ‘wanted’ by those fellas in the hedges whispering sweet coochie coo’s as they’re pulling leaves out of their arses?

- Thanks to all above too and to Leah Cassella for directing.

Summer Writing Workshop July 7-12, 2011, Old Rectory Retreat, Knappagh

Summer Camps

We are running a workshop from July 7-12, as follows:

~ Thursday 7th: 6pm meet and greet / intro followed by a writing session at 7.30pm
~ Friday 8th: 10-1 writing session
~ Saturday 9th: 10-1 writing session
~ Sunday 10th: 10-1 writing session
~ Monday 11th: 10-1 writing session
~ Tuesady 12th: Group Reading of work (optional)

Call Fiona at 087 763 4339 for more information or email fmk10@columbia.edu

Spring Writing Workshop March 25-27, 2011, Old Rectory Retreat, Knappagh

Summer Camps

Weekend workshop meeting Friday evening for food, chat and writing exercises, followed by a day of writing on Saturday, breaking for a delicious home-made lunch courtesy of Róisin.
On Sunday morning we will gather again at Róisin’s kitchen table to read the work produced. Reading is optional, but nobody ever declines!

Call Fiona at 087 763 4339 for more information or email fmk10@columbia.edu

Workshop: Creatively Writing

Summer Camps

Fiona is running a Creative Writing Workshop on a weekday evening in Westport at Sharkey Hill Community Centre (Fairways) . [Map/Directions]

In her classes, writers work on all forms of fiction and some work on non-fiction. All levels are welcome. Cost is €100 for an 8 week block.

The Thursday class is currently full but, if there is sufficient interest, an extra session coud be added on Tuesdays,

To book your place, call Fiona at 087 763 4339 or Send an EMail or Message.

One Day Writing Workshop

Summer Camps, , , , , ,

Co-owner of SixPens, Fin Keegan, worked alongside Deborah Triesman and Bill Buford in the late 90s at The New Yorker magazine, where he evaluated short story manuscripts.

Alongside stimulating exercises, this workshop will focus on craft and technique, considering key aspects of fiction such as Point of View, Conflict, Plot, and Dialogue.

The day, which costs €60, runs from 10.30am to 5pm (with delicious home-made lunch included) and takes place set in the delightful surroundings of Old Rectory Retreat in Knappagh, not far from Westport along the Leenane Road.

Hope you can come! For further information or to make a booking, phone Róisín 087 7764820 or email oldrectoryretreat@gmail.com