Roundup of the John Hewitt International Summer School 2023

So another John Hewitt Summer School has sadly come to an end and what a jam packed week of interesting talks, inspiring interviews and a great workshop to boot.

This Festival of Literature, Arts & Politics is the annual event run by the John Hewitt Society. The Society promotes literature, arts, and culture inspired by the Ideas and Ideals of John Hewitt, the Belfast poet, critic, curator & political thinker (1907-1987). It was my second time to attend the Summer School, the first being in 2019 where I met three other writers with whom I’m still in daily contact and even published a literary archive together during the pandemic. More info about that here.

Here’s the programme and I’ll quickly run through some of my personal highlights.

Each morning, a different speaker was invited to give what I would describe as a scene-setting talk, generally with a geopolitical twist. Political Scientist Professor Jon Tonge gave an inspired presentation on where we are now twenty five years after the Good Friday Agreement. If every university had a lecturer like him, we’d all study politics. Ukrainian academic Dr. Olena Snigyr gave a harrowingly truthful portrayal of Russian propaganda and their rationale and mindset towards the invasion of Ukraine. Heavy stuff but we needed to hear it.

Poetry was on the agenda every mid morning and the stand out performance and work was from Gail McConnell, no stranger to the troubles having lost her father to a gunman aged three. I also really enjoyed Will Harris’ set on the Friday and even bought his book Brother Poem although we had a very awkward exchange when in the book signing. Perhaps he doesn’t like chit chat as much as myself but a great read.

The lunchtime slot was an interview with a novelist from Joseph O’Connor, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Denise Mina, Frank McGuinness to Sarah Moss. The Frank McGuinness interview was one of the week’s highlights, so funny, honest and generous. I don’t generally read crime fiction but decided to attend Denise Mina’s interview and it was well worth stepping out of my genre, really valuable down to earth advice for all writers.

Cork man Billy O’Callaghan was interviewed late Monday afternoon after a very early start but throughout the week, everyone said they could have listened to him all night. So solid and you’d have no idea listening or looking at him of his mastery of language. I had read Life Sentences a few weeks before when I saw his name on the list and my God, that man can write. Bought a book of his too.

Every afternoon, we toddled off to our writing workshops. I had chosen a memoir workshop entitled ‘Writing your one wild and precious life’ (ref The Summer Day by Mary Oliver) given by Maureen Boyle. After the three day workshop, I’m equipped with a solid reading list provided by both tutor and participants and an excellent primer in the techniques available to the memoirist. I was thrilled to be one of three participants invited to present my homework for the week at the Creative Writing Showcase. You can read that here.

Then every evening there was an event on in either the Studio (small theatre) or the main stage. A full house for the Child brothers talking about their Jack Reacher franchise. The highlight of the evening entertainment had to be Cathy Carson’s one woman show Becoming Marvellous. I met Cathy here in 2019 when she was just starting to find her voice and she wowed us during an open mic, well she is now a swan and her show fully formed.

A wonderful week altogether and many thanks to the Department of Foreign Affairs for funding my bursary and to all in the John Hewitt Society for the wonderful welcome. I’ll be back.