DCU Library Creative Writing Competition

It was a great privilege for my story to be shortlisted for the DCU writing competition. Everyone complimented me on my story which made me want to cry with happiness. It opened up a whole new world for me. On the night of the event, it was amazing that I could get up and read my story in front of all those people because this was my first time ever reading aloud like that. I also enjoyed hearing all the other stories. I was able to see the other side of learning and it gave me great independence. Being able to put pen to paper gave me a new lease of life and also being able for people to hear me as I am. I am reading with confidence and I have written other stories for the scheme book and for the newsletter. I have come on in leaps and bounds.
Thelma McDonnell
Ballymun Writing Group

So many thoughts have come to mind as I look back on the role of the DCU competition for our literacy service; the importance of sitting down and writing for our literacy students; the development of confidence; literacy and writing skills developing and improving; the amazing sense of taking part in a public competition; the joy of being nominated for a prize; the pride of family, friends and student colleagues attending the prize-giving event; and the positive affirmation of being published in both the DCU booklet and the next KLEAR student writing anthology!

The students’ writings over the years have been so varied; from basic, to interesting, well-written, and above all, to so very personal.  They represent hard work, inspiration, first writing attempts, perspiration, editing, reading to other students and tutors for comment, and eventually they become the final typed version of a piece of writing each student can be so proud of. 

The DCU librarians’ special guests at the awards events, including Roisin Ingle, Dermot Bolger, Anthony Galvin and Christine Dwyer Hickey, just to name a few, have joined in praise of the writings of the literacy students around the Dublin region.

Rebecca O’Rourke and Jane Mace, carrying out research some years ago on the value of literacy student writing and publication, said in their final report that we should ensure that all students improving their basic skills should have the opportunity to explore their potential in the full range of literacy, including the possibility of writing for publication.

They added that such writing complements the new era where accreditation can be seen as the only way to evaluate learning. 

Published work gives great personal satisfaction to students and demonstrates their range of abilities, points they also reported from their research. 

Let’s hope, for all these positive reasons, that we can continue to offer students the opportunity to see their own work celebrated, both in print and also celebrated at such auspicious occasions as the DCU annual creative writing awards!

Many thanks to the ongoing interest, dedication and enthusiasm of the DCU librarians for the annual awards.  Ar aghaidh libh!
 

Rose Brownen
Retired Adult Literacy Service Organiser at the KLEAR Adult Education Centre, Kilbarrack for 31 years.

It was a wonderful feeling knowing that a short story I wrote and submitted in to the DCU Creative Writing event, would be selected, shortlisted and chosen as the winning entry.

It was my first time contemplating a story but once started the story wrote itself. I was overjoyed and elated and felt very proud of myself and my achievement.

It was my first time to stand on a podium and having the pleasure of reading my winning story to a live audience including my family and friends. There was a great reaction with applause and roars of laughter to the story. It was a great experience I will treasure.

Winning the event was a great booster for me. It helped to overcome my lack of confidence. It gave me the urge to propel myself forward and to take up further education.

I continue to write short stories at every opportunity. Especially when a good story comes to mind it has to be written down before it gets lost. Most of my stories are posted online to Finglas Memories. Two of my stories are featured in the Finglas Memories book “Through Our Eyes”. Three more stories will be featured in the Finglas Memories book volume two this August/September.
 

Jimmy Conway
Ballymun Writing Group, winner 2015

I had no intention of submitting a story because I didn’t know I was capable of writing as I left school at 14. I thought about my wife’s second anniversary coming up and the words just flowed into a poem. I never thought in my wildest dreams that my poem would be picked to go into the DCU Competition let alone be shortlisted!

My family and neighbours couldn’t believe that I could write such beautiful words about my wife. I have to write the way I feel, I am a very private person but my writing comes from the heart. Since then, I have written five more poems. It has given me great confidence and pleasure with my writing.
 

Richard Murray
Ballymun Writing Group

I recall the huge sense of privilege I felt at being asked to present DCU Library Creative Writing Competition Awards in 2003 and 2009 and to chat with the winners as they nervously – and courageously – prepared to read their work in public for the first time.

It is always special to witness the start of a journey and I was listening to the start of so many imaginative journeys into lives that were real and lives that were fictionalised, all captured in uniquely conjured words.

If some writers went on to be published elsewhere, that is great, but if others continue to just write solely for their own pleasure that is equally important.

Because we live in an age when we are constantly bombarded with advertising that tries to spoon-feed us fashion choices, political opinions and imaginary wants; a world that sees us only as consumers.

But for twenty-one years this DCU competition has encouraged people to begin to write, and once anyone begins to write – be they writing poetry or fiction or short memoirs or song lyrics or even a diary – then they are making a declaration of independence.

The act of writing is when we stand up and think for themselves – and look back at our lives and our world – not as consumers but as individuals with our own opinions to express. I hope that the DCU Library Creative Writing Competition Awards continue to be an important launch pad for people to do this for years to come.
 

Dermot Bolger 

Can it really be ten years since I was invited to your DCU library event to celebrate creative writing?

People often tell me that time is the biggest obstacle to writing a novel. If only they had more time! Between work, family obligations, school runs, supermarkets, commutes etc – there simply is not enough of it. I understand, I really do. I need time too. In fact, I spend my whole life trying to find more of it. I also waste quite a lot of it. And this is why I always keep this reminder close to hand.

Dear Very Busy Christine,
If you wrote for half an hour each day for six days a week, you would have 3 hours of work done. If you did 3 hours of work a week for 50 weeks in a year that would be 150 hours of work. If you did 150 hours for ten years that would be 1,500 hours of work. If you wrote as little as 50 words during each of those half-hours that would make 100 words an hour. You would have written 150,000 words. The average novel is between 70,000 and 120,000 words long. 

You would have written a novel with plenty left over for cutting. If you increased your time to an hour a day, you would have written two novels. If you could stretch yourself to two hours a day – that’s four novels in ten years including ample space for editing.

So, please don’t come complaining to me that you don’t have the time.
Instead, why don’t you turn on your laptop, sit down for half an hour. And start Writing.
 

Christine Dwyer Hickey

I had a number of different Library roles, during my time in DCU.

It was as Humanities Librarian that I found myself part of the University adult education committee. An outreach adult learning festival for North Dublin was in the planning and I was asked to contribute some ideas from the Library.

I was a bit stuck at what to suggest but having some experience of writing competitions at the time, I thought that a focused competition around literacy might work. 

My awareness of adult literacy went back to my summers in London working on building sites. A number of the older Irish emigrants struggled with literacy and their day-to-day problems affected me greatly.  But I also know that competitions like this are an encouragement for people. The act of entering should be as important as winning. It is a statement in itself.

DCU Library was (and is) one of those encouraging places where you could run with an idea and the competition came together easily enough in terms of promotion, staff support and finding the all-important money for the book vouchers. I had an assistant Simon McGarr who helped greatly with the logistical issues (Simon subsequently went on to great things in Law).

Marina Carr was the DCU writer in residence at the time and a notable judge to start with. The awards ceremony itself was in the old Library reading room.

I found myself as MC, a new experience for me but overall, the night went well. I do remember one young woman was particularly nervous and we had trouble hearing her as she read. Afterwards her aunt, admonished me for not having a basic PA system in place.  I had to accept that this was an oversight. Then the woman softened notably and pointing to her now smiling niece, said "Look at her. Before tonight she's never won a thing in her whole life."  

These are the things that you remember. It is wonderful and amazing to me that the awards are still running in 2021.
 

Hugo Kelly

I was so pleased to be guest author at DCU Library’s Creative Writing Awards 2016, while I was the university’s Irish language writer-in-residence/ Scríbhneoir Cónaithe. Writing stories, poems and memoir helps us to add shape and sense to our lives; and it can also help us to escape a while from the daily grind, to imagine ourselves somewhere different, to be someone else, to turn words into music, and to live our lives more fully and deeply. And just as important, we can have a lot of fun while we’re doing it!
Comhghairdeas leis an leabharlann agus leis na scríbhneoirí go léir a ghlac páirt sna comórtais. Here’s to all the past and future writers involved in the competition!
Anna Heussaff

Reading the stories and choosing our favourites was a very enjoyable yet not an easy task. Some of the stories, poems and experiences put forward were just amazing. We would form a picture of the person who put all their thoughts and feelings down on paper. Then on the awards night we got to meet and chat with them.
Julie Whyte 

Being a member of the Creative Writing Competition judging panel has been a hugely rewarding experience. I've loved reading all the different entries, though choosing a shortlist from so many incredible submissions has been a challenge!
Eilís O’Neill 

I have always enjoyed being part of the Creative Writing team and choosing entries for the Competition. On the Awards night it has been great to meet the entrants from different writing groups and to hear the reading of the chosen stories.
Sharon Ryan