Monthly Archives: March 2015

Being Misunderstood (Guest Post by Daniel Seery)

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Lia Mills

This is a new feature to this blog. I know, I know, everyone else has been doing it forever – but I’m a slow learner. Now and then I’ll invite other writers to use this space  for short essays.  My first guest is … Continue reading →

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Review Essay (Dublin Review of Books)

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Lia Mills

How to be both, Ali Smith, Hamish Hamilton, 372pp, €14.99, ISBN: 978-0241146828 Reading Ali Smith can be a bit like jumping onto a moving train: it might take a page or two to find your feet. Her savvy, smart characters … Continue reading →

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Why are there so many Irish writers?

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Lia Mills

This light comment on Irishry and writing (and language and weather) was broadcast on Arena last night. Happy St Patrick’s Day, everyone! Why are there so many Irish Writers? It’s a popular question in interviews and at festivals. Theories range … Continue reading →

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2 Films about Palestine (Progressive Film Club)

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Lia Mills

(From the Progressive Film Club) Sat 14th March 2015 New Theatre, East Essex Street, Temple Bar Programme starts: 2.30pm 2.30pm: The Great Book Robbery (2012) Telling the story of the systematic looting in 1948 of 30,000 Palestinian books in a … Continue reading →

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#readwomen (International Women’s Day)

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Lia Mills

To celebrate International Women’s Day, Mountains to Sea curator Bert Wright organized a panel discussion between Joanna Walsh, who started the readwomen hashtag, Sarah Davis-Goff of Tramp Press and Anne Enright, Ireland’s first Laureate for fiction. Sinéad Gleeson was in … Continue reading →

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UPDATE ON RAIF BADAWI (previous post)

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Lia Mills

According to Kevin Rawlinson in the guardian, Raif Badawi may be retried and sentenced to be beheaded for apostasy: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/01/raif-badawi-could-be-retried-and-beheaded-family-ensaf-haidar-apostasy In addition to campaigns by Amnesty and PEN International mentioned previously, there is a Facebook page campaigning for his release: https://www.facebook.com/free.badawi

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On Censorship, Iranian Film & Saudi Blogging

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Lia Mills

(A version of this piece was broadcast on Arena on 18th Feb):  http://www.rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A20731200%3A1526%3A18%2D02%2D2015%3A Recently I saw an Iranian film by Mohammad Rasoulof: Manuscripts Don’t Burn. It tells a creepy, absorbing story about censorship and corruption impinging on the lives of dissident writers in … Continue reading →

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