Winners of this year's EPIC AWARD!!

The Hermit Collective have just WON the Epic Award (for community and voluntary arts groups) and I managed to get a really fabulous trip to Cardiff Castle to collect the prize! Brilliant. (me and Roger are hiding in the back..)

and Fifth Estate.. and Ropes!

toot toot

Hermits are shortlisted for an EPIC AWARD!! please vote

http://shortlist.epicawards.co.uk/

Vote for THE HERMIT COLLECTIVE!! thank you

another great Hermit day!.. book launches..

Hermit Collective: Saturday in Claremorris Town Hall was really good; paintings, photographic art, sculpture, crafts, prints, poetry, original songs, traditional irish music, sitar, and puppets! Plus we held a raffle for the Pikpa Camp on Lesvos, and raised 200euro, so that's been lodged and should be with them buying essentials in the next couple of days...
My latest chapbook SNOWBIRD is being launched this week in Ballaghaderreen library, and then again as accompaniment to Gavin Porter's new art exhibition, in Ballymote library next week; it'll be brilliant!

Crannog.. Skylight47..Fifth Estate (US).. Ropes.. and The Stinging Fly..

New poems coming out soon in all the above..!

Ranting Beast Review... New Book!!... and launch

Well I just spotted this great review of my first chapbook Hellsteeth in website the Ranting Beast...
and the good news is my new booklet Snowbird will be out soon,
being launched by Ballaghaderreen library, and then followed by a Sligo launch in Ballymote Library, watch this space...

Skylight47 and The Stinging Fly in the new year!

It's nice to have things popping up in the new year..My poem for refugees "Welcome" coming out in issue 6 of Skylight47, and "Brothers" -a found poem, using only words found in a document written by my great grandad in 1916- will be in the Easter issue of The Stinging Fly...

Pushcart

wow - my poem "Pact" has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, by the brilliant Muse-Pie Press. Read it here

Poethead

Love this site. Great to have my poems on it: Poethead

Over The Edge... Hermit Open-Mic... Ink Sweat and Tears..

Shortlisted at the moment for the Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition, should be a good night in Galway, looking forward to it...

My poem "Scan" to go live on the brilliant website InkSweat&Tears on the 13th October! Don't miss it! Though you may have already seen it in print or on ShotGlassJournal..

The Hermit Collective are back , after a sort-of break for the summer. Coming to Spells Bar, the Rum&Black Music Club, Ballaghaderreen, on Wednesday 21st October 7pm. This time we're throwing in an open-mic, as I was so impressed by the local talent I saw recently while judging the New Roscommon Writing Award, so come on time if you want to get your name down to perform..

Burning Bush2.. Irish Times..Featured Poet International...

A poem about my late grandaunt's house, out now in Burning Bush2 ...
3 poems about my habitat out tomorrow in the Irish Times New Irish Writing section...
and I've been selected to be the American short poetry journal, Shot Glass Journal,'s Featured Poet International, more on that when it goes live.. hopefully September.
Also I'm about to start reading through the entries for this year's New Roscommon Writing Award, which I am hugely looking forward to. Judging could be hard. We are swimming in talent here, must come with the rain..
Oh, and also, been put on the very long list for the Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition, so watch this space! UPDATE: made it to the shortlist! delighted!
Also update: the judging is done, we will be having a celebration and prize giving on Wednesday afternoon in Roscommon library. It was so hard to pick just ten shortlisted pieces, it took dozens of reads -of each of 99 entries- to whittle it down. Really inspiring stuff.

New Roscommon Writing Award - I am the law!!

...or as I keep telling the children "The judges decision is final" (I want it on a t-shirt..)
I am really honoured to be this year's judge in the Roscommon New Writing competition.
Deadline the end of August.

NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2015

First Prize: €500

The NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2015 is organised as part of the county’s literature development programme. It is funded by Roscommon County Council and The Arts Council, and supported by the Roscommon Herald, the Roscommon People and by Shannonside FM.

The winner will receive a monetary prize of €500 and will have their winning entry printed in the Roscommon Herald and the Roscommon People. It will also be broadcast on Shannonside FM. (Four runners-up will receive €50 each)

Closing date for entries is 30 August 2015

Enquiries to

roscwir@gmail.com or to mmullins@roscommoncoco.ie

Competition Rules

·         Entries, in English, on any theme, in any literary form, will be accepted.

·         The competition is open to anyone over 18. All entrants must have a connection with the county of Roscommon (born in, living in, currently working in, went to school in, etc).

·         Typed entries (handwritten entries cannot be accepted) must be no more than 500 words. Mark the number of words in your entry on the bottom of the page. Entries over the 500 word limit will be automatically disqualified.

·         Include your name, address and contact details, plus your connection to the county. Include these on a separate page, not on your entry.

·         There is no entry fee. All entries must be received by 30 August, 2015.

·         The competition will be adjudicated by Jessamine O Connor. The judge’s decision is final.

·         Post your entry to: NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2015, Roscommon Arts Office, Roscommon West Business Park, Circular Road, Roscommon. You may also email your entry to:  mmullins@roscommoncoco.ie. Title your email NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2015.

·         The names of the shortlisted writers will be announced in local media and online at http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Comm_Ent/Arts_Office/literature.htm

·         The awards ceremony will take place towards the end of September on a date and at a venue to be announced.

Hermits

The Hermit Collective are at it again: Saturday afternoon June 20th, in The Hawks well Theatre, Sligo. Free admission as always; feel free to buy art, books, viking pottery, and book a band.
www.hermitcollective.weebly.com

Agenda.. Shot Glass Journal.. Incubator..

New poems in Agenda, Shot Glass Journal #16, and a flash fiction in Incubator...

Crannog.. Roscommon Herald.. Ink Sweat and Tears.. Incubator..

Lots of poems in the air, or on paper. Also had a great time in Ballymote library -thanks Louise- for Poetry Day; The Hermit Collective Poetry Faction was a hit...

The Roscommon Herald..

I have a short piece in the local Herald today... nice!

Poetry for Spaces, Donegal...

Really like this NorthWestWords thing; they put posters of poems up in public spaces like bus-stops and libraries. So people can actually read them! Another one of mine is up now, look out for it!

"Clockwatching" will be on display from 1st April 2015 for approximately 2 months in the following locations:

Burtonport: Failte Centre

Dungloe: Public Services Centre; Ionad Teampall Chroine; Supervalu

Letterkennny : Public Services Centre ; Central Library; Courtyard Shopping Centre; General Hospital; LYIT

Maghery: Community Centre

Milford: Public Services Centre

Ramelton: Town Hall

Incubator journal.. Sabotage review..

Just found a review of my chapbook on the Sabotage Reviews site, great surprise! Good review too:
http://sabotagereviews.com/2015/03/18/a-skyful-of-kites-by-jessamine-oconnor/

and getting my first ever flash fiction published in the journal Incubator soon, watch this space..

The Hermit Collective!

3pm SATURDAY 28TH MARCH, BARRYS BAR, GRANGE, CO SLIGO--- FREE!!
BRILLIANT DAY! Thanks to all the many hermits who came out of their caves, it looked and felt GREAT! and thanks to everyone who came to see and hear us, see us next on Poetry Day 7th May...

Bogmans Cannon about the Hermit Collective

http://bogmanscannon.com/category/your-shout/

Really like this site, and really like that they've put my piece about the hermits on there!