I love doing readings and meeting readers and writers. Not so easy right now, but let’s hope we’ll all back out there soon! I’ll post upcoming news and events as soon as semi-normal service is resumed.
Book Zooms: If you’d like me to join your book club (for a reading and/or chat about writing, I’m not trying to infiltrate your book group) - get in touch.
I was interviewed about SHINE/VARIANCE by Niamh Donnelly in the Sunday Business Post on Sept 12th. I talked about writing short stories, why writing is supposed to hurt, and what’s coming next. Thanks to Bryan Meade for making me look edgy in Rathmines, which isn’t easy – for me or Rathmines.
There’s an online (paywall) version here
I have never met the great American Playwright David Mamet, but it’s not for lack of trying. I moved to Chicago to find him. He wasn’t there, and I got lost, for about 20 years.
I wrote about the rocky road away from home and back again to writing for the Sunday Independent. And thanks to my flatmate Dan for helping me find my way.
If you can’t open the link above, there’s a downloadable PDF here
I was thrilled to read this very kind review of Shine/Variance in the Irish Examiner. Paul Ring says:
“These stories pack an emotional punch…there’s not a weak link in this chain of stories. Shine/Variance is a hugely accomplished debut from a writer who sees beauty, struggle and the redemption in the everyday.”
It means a huge amount to me when a reviewer connects with the stories, and gets what I was trying to do – I really appreciate it.
I love books about families – messy, complicated ones ideally.
Turns out choosing my favourite books about family life was about as easy as going on a family holiday – but the Guardian kindly asked, so here’s a list of ten books about families that I really connected with.
Hope you like them!
It was a thrill to be on BBC Radio 4’s Open Book Programme this week, with the wonderful Elizabeth Day. I chatted with her and Rosanna Amaka about coming to writing later in life, living and failing a little on the way, and why Flann O’Brien is my role model (in some respects at least).
You can listen to it here or wherever you get your podcasts.
I was quite terrified ahead of reviews of SHINE/VARIANCE, so I was very pleased (and relieved) to get these two very kind, thoughtful and positive reviews recently.
Sarah Moss in the Irish Times described the stories as “Great, beautiful little studies of unspoken fear and longing and love, told with a sure-footed delicacy rare in a debut”.
I’m a big admirer of Sarah Moss as a writer and critic, and it was wonderful to see her engage so deeply with the stories in her review. You can read the Irish Times review here.
Niamh Donnelly in the Irish Independent said: “Astonishing…the collection’s sharpness, poetics and wit make for an immensely pleasurable read. Walsh looks to be a writer of great promise.”
You can read her full review here.
I really appreciate the depth of analysis in both pieces, and the very kind and supportive reviews – it means a lot to me.
Though I’ve only come recently to writing in public, I’ve been keeping a diary for 40 years. Why do that, and what has it shown me about writing, and myself? I try to answer that in this public diary entry, kindly published by The Irish Times. Warning: contains references to Simple Minds, Doctor Who and the never-before-published list of what I ate in McDonald’s in 1986.
It was great to launch Shine/Variance on July 1st. Here you can watch the recording of our virtual launch, with me in conversation with bestselling author John Boyne (The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas, The Heart’s Invisible Furies). We talked about writing, books, friendship and families (and our time in the altar boys), and I read from one of the stories in the collection.
You can order Shine/Variance here. or from your local indie. Hope you enjoy the recording and thanks to everyone who joined us live, from Thailand to Colombia!
For Father’s Day, I wrote a piece about my Dad and how he set a different course for himself in life, leaving the family pub to become the custard king of Ireland. He inspired me to (eventually) find my own, non-dessert based way in the world. The Irish Times kindly published it here, complete with more of our family album than you probably need to see.
The very good people at Cavity Magazine run a podcast called All Art is Quite Useless. They talked about my story Shine/Variance and did a great analysis of it. I was very flattered by comparisons to Ulysses and Peep Show. (I know my level. Less Dedalus, not even Super-Hans).