Dublin Book Festival

In honour of International Women's Day 2022 here is a story of one woman - exiled to a nunnery, written out of history and more or less forgotten...until now.   Nadine O'Regan is in conversation with author JR Thorp to discuss her stunning debut novel Learwife

Festival Director, Julianne Siron chats to Roisin Dwyer about Submissions for Dublin Book Festival 2022 which open on the 1st March. 

Join Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan as she chats to some of Ireland's most exciting new writers including John Patrick McHugh, Dagogo Hart & Megan Nolan... 

Join us for a fascinating conversation with President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins as he discusses his latest book Reclaiming the European Street: Speeches on Europe and the European Union (Lilliput Press –  Ed. by Joachim Fischer and Fergal Lenehan) with author, journalist and lecturer Paddy Woodworth.

Recorded at DBF20201: Professor Luke O’Neill and Mark Henry in conversation with Aoife Barry

Renowned immunologist, Luke O’Neill has become one of the most well-known and trusted voices throughout Ireland’s COVID-19 pandemic. His new book of lockdown diary entries Keep Calm and Trust the Science (Gill Books) takes us on a roller-coaster ride through one of our country’s most dramatic and difficult years.

Mark Henry’s new book In Fact: An Optimist’s Guide to Ireland at 100 (Gill Books) is a much-needed uplifting read after such a challenging year. Using facts and stats, Henry’s book is packed with positive news to hold onto; tracking our progress over the last 100 years through 100 undeniable national achievements, highlighting that, while there is still much to be done, Ireland is in a better place now than it has ever been.

The Freedom to Write Committee of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann is honoured to celebrate the life and work of the renowned poets, Varavara Rao (India) and  İlhan Sami Çomak (Turkey), on the occasion of the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer.

Varavara Rao was arrested in August 2018 after an event in support of the struggle of the Dalits –  or Untouchables – for human rights. Imprisoned many times over the years for similar activities, Varavara Rao is currently on release on an interim bail agreement granted on health grounds. Still in serious ill health, the 82-year-old poet will be back in court soon for a decision on his future.

İlhan Sami Çomak was arrested in 1994 and charged with membership of the banned PKK Kurdish militia. He has always denied the charges against him and has said his ‘confession’ was obtained under torture 26 years ago when he was a young student. He remains Turkey’s longest-serving student prisoner. İlhan has written eight books of poetry from solitary confinement, and his autobiography has just been published. His only company during all his time in prison has been a pet bird.

Benjamín Labatut in conversation with Rick O’Shea

Sometimes the greatest discoveries bring the greatest destruction

Join Dublin Book Festival for an evening with Chilean author Benjamín Labatut as he discusses his novel, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2021, with broadcaster and national literary connoisseur Rick O’Shea.

Described by Philip Pullman as ‘a monstrous and brilliant book’, When We Cease to Understand the World is a fascinating and revelatory insight into how the world’s greatest minds can wreak the greatest havoc. Thrusting us into the troubled lives of such scientific luminaries as Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger, this book explores the sometimes blurred lines between genius and madness; how some of science’s greatest discoveries revolutionise our world for the better, while others pave the way to chaos and unimaginable suffering. Merging fact and fiction to great effect, Labatut shines a bright and powerful light on some of the most brilliant minds in this history of science and mathematics.

Join Dublin Book Festival in association with Culture Ireland, as they bring a blend of traditional and contemporary Irish culture to Blue Metropolis. Presenter Breda Brown sits down with multi-award winning author and director Neil Jordan and author Nuala O'Connor with musical interludes from the enchanting duo Clare Sands & Susan O'Neill. Filmed in the beautiful, bookish surroundings of Kevin Street Library in central Dublin.

Colin Black in conversation with Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin

Tune in from the comfort of your own home where Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin will be talking to author Colin Black about his new book Gas Man: Observations of an anaesthetist (HarperCollins Ireland). Learn what happens between you conking out and waking up after an anaesthetic. Anaesthetist Colin Black will bring you on his journey, both funny and sad; where his every day on the frontline is a heady cocktail of severe pressure, poignancy, and profound social awkwardness.

Vanda Symon, Awais Khan and Lilja Sigurðardóttir in conversation with Sam Blake

Join Vanda Symon, Awais Khan and Lilja Sigurðardóttir in conversation with Sam Blake for an evening of crime! Crime writers from four UNESCO Cities of Literature: Dublin, Lahore, Dunedin and Reykjavík meet to discuss the influence their home cities have had on their writing, how crime fiction crosses geographical divides and what prompted them to start a life of crime.

In partnership with Gay Community News

Join Dublin Book Festival for an evening of delving into Queer Love: An Anthlogy of Irish Fiction (Munster Literature). The anthology was conceived as an attempt to redress the lack of acknowledgement of LGBTQIA+ community and representation in Irish literary anthologies. At this online event, editor of the collection Paul McVeigh is joined by two of its contributors, Emma Donoghue and Neil Hegarty to discuss their contributions to the anthology, the importance of producing this anthology, and developing LGBTQIA+ presence and representation in the Irish literary community.

Please join columnist, features writer, and co-host of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast, Róisín Ingle, in conversation with authors Naoise Dolan, Susannah Dickey, and Hilary Fannin whose debut novels Exciting Times (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), Tennis Lessons (Doubleday) and The Weight of Love (Doubleday Ireland) were released earlier this year to rave reviews. With their distinctively Irish voices, Naoise and Susannah deliver incisive and contemporary commentary on the awkward coming-of-age years and what it means to be young and female today, while Hilary tackles a turbulent marriage and the various ways in which we can love and be loved. These exciting debut novelists will talk about all of this and more in what promises to be a compelling conversation with Róisín.

Join Belfast Book Festival Patron, Lucy Caldwell in conversation with two stellar short story writers, Lucy Sweeney Byrne and Yan Ge.

Having recently been shortlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize Lucy’s debut short story collection Paris Syndrome (2019), explores travelling the world alone as a young woman. After writing and publishing in Chinese for many years, Yan Ge began writing in English in 2016 and was featured in Being Various: New Irish Short Stories.

Join these three brilliant writers in a conversation about their work, and a celebration of the short story.

Tune in to this podcast, hosted by PR Director and co-founder at Unique Media, Breda Brown, for a discussion between best-selling historical fiction writer Marita Conlon-McKenna and debut historical fiction writer Marianne Lee. Marita Conlon-McKenna became a household name after the exceptional success of her Children of the Famine trilogy, beginning with Under the Hawthorn Tree. This year, the writer released The Hungry Road (Penguin), a novel for adult readers set during the Great Irish Famine. In her debut, A Quiet Tide (New Island), Marianne Lee breathes life into the personal story of  Ellen Hutchins, a nineteenth century botanist who lived a rich but  tormented life. Breda Brown will host a conversation between these two  writers of historical fiction on the difficulties of, and reception to,  historical novels.

Marita Conlon-McKenna is one of Ireland’s favourite authors. Her books include the award-winning Under the Hawthorn Tree which is set during Ireland’s great famine. Widely translated and  published, it is now considered an Irish classic. Her other books  include bestsellers The Magdalen and Rebel Sisters. She is a winner of the International Reading Association Award, USA and a former chairperson of Irish PEN.

Marianne Lee grew up in Tullamore, Co. Offaly and now lives in Dublin  with her husband. She has a degree in Visual Communications from the  National College of Art and Design and an MPhil in Creative Writing from  Trinity College Dublin. Marianne works as a designer and copywriter and  has published a selection of poetry as well as self-recorded an album  of music. She sings Bach and paints landscapes. A Quiet Tide is her first novel.

Breda Brown is the presenter of the Inside Books podcast. In each  episode of Inside Books, Breda chats to people associated with the world  of books – including well-known authors, publishers, editors, agents,  critics, booksellers and more.

Interviewees have included local and international authors Rachael  English, Martina Cole, Anthony Horowitz, Pat McCabe, Stephen McGann,  Peter James, Alan Shatter, Jo Spain, Patricia Gibney, Peter Carey,  Dermot Bolger, Mary Kenny, Martina Fitzgerald, Paul Howard, Sarah Webb,  Emily Hourican, Stefanie Preissner and Catherine Fulvio. Industry names  interviewed on Inside Books include Michael McLoughlin (Penguin),  Vanessa Fox O Loughlin (Writing.ie), Declan Meade and Sarah Gilmartin  (Stinging Fly), Lisa Coen and Sarah Davis Goff (Tramp Press), Maria  Dickenson (Dubray Books) and Madeleine Keane (Sunday Independent Books  Editor). Inside Books is available on all audio channels and the twitter  handle is @InsideBooksIRE

A former print and radio journalist, Breda also reviews crime novels  for the Sunday Independent, MCs and moderates events and contributes  regularly to radio and TV programmes. She is also the co-founder of  Unique Media, the communications firm that produces the Inside Books  podcast.