The Western Writers Centre

The Dublin-based Irish journal of alternative and explorative literature, Albedo 1, has broken very new ground by making contacts with European masters and apostles of imaginative fiction and producing an issue which features some examples of their work. Australia hasn’t been left out, either. The Editorial explains all: “We thought about the amount of excellent fiction that must be out there in other languages, even if we’re simply looking at Europe. So we talked to the Poles and the Germans and the French and the Swedes, along with a couple of Americans . . . .” Now it would be hard indeed to get any contemporary Irish literature magazine that would devote this kind of energy to escaping the stifling and unmoving satellite of Irish writing. There are reviews, interviews, short stories, even one by Sarah Joan Berniker, whose work has appeared in Playboy. Notice too of the illustrious French journal, Galaxies (www.galaxies-sf.com) The cover art is mind-blowing. Submissions and enquiries to bobn@yellowbrickroad.ie Why in God’s name isn’t the Arts Council, who fund magazines whose repetitiveness and predictability make them akin to journals kept by inmates in someone’s guest-house, fund this exciting and richly-diverse magazine? Well, I have a story about the why not of it all, and siffice it to say that the Arts Council of the Republic do not take speculative fiction seriously. They don’t see it as literature, dontcha know. One Arts Council personality some years ago declared it would be more than their job was worth to advance the argument. In fact our Council rather ridicule it, which indicates, in truth, that they’d never have funded Orwell to write 1984 or Stoker to complete Dracula. Yet for years they’ve had the neck to keep a portrait of a famous alternative fiction writer and solid Dubliner hanging in their foyer at Merrion Square. Safe to do so, one supposes, because he’s dead and therefore reasonably unlikely to look for funding.

Albedo 1- Issue 37. €5.95. Pbck with card covers in colour. 2, Post Road, Lusk, Co. Dublin, Ireland. ISSN: 0791 - 8534 63pp

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The Burren and Kinvara region has hosted, and continues to host, great sessions of music and even a writers’ group, so not surprisingly, it is now celebrating itself in music, song and poetry with piper Eugene Lambe, Joe Sullivan, Paul Mulligan on guitar, singer Caoilte Breatnach and a special guest. An evening full of atmosphere with music and stories from Eugene Lambe, poems from Joe Sullivan, songs from Paul Mulligan, and a biteen of folklore and song from Caoilte Breatnach, MC for the night.  Everything falls out at Johnston’s Hall, Saturday next, October 31st at 9pm. That doesn’t mean 9.20 or 9.30pm! €10 only.
www.kinvara.com

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A lively and loud book festival takes off every year around this time at Carhaix, Brittany, offering further evidence of a thriving publishing scene there in both Breton and French. The following film was made by Kris ar Braz, a documentary film-maker and translator who once lived here in Galway. Poetry readings and the general atmosphere of the lively festival are brought to life here. One is reminded that in twenty-five years on the go, no one has made a similar documentary about Galway’s Cúirt festival. One might even consider offering one’s services as adviser? Anyway, here’s a peek at the festival in Carhaix:

http://www.kaouenn.net/?q=fr/node/888

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