We’re running out of January days which is not necessarily a bad thing. But what I do like about January is that it holds the promise of a new start – a new year where we all get a second chance, or a 52nd chance in my case.
Until a few weeks ago, I had virtually no plans for 2024. Now, I’m glad to say, I have a few literary dates in the diary, and pop-up event in March connected to the Irish Festival Fribourg/Freiburg.
On February 14th, I’ll be interviewing Anne Eekhout about her book Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein. The event is taking place in the Société de Lecture in Geneva, and it should be popular with the locals, seeing as Mary Shelley started writing her iconic novel in that part of the world at the tender age of eighteen.
Interviews and history
When I was asked to do the Eekhout interview, I bought Miranda Seymour’s biography of Mary Shelley. I’ve been blown away by how daring and talented this 19th century woman was. Running away with a married poet at sixteen precipitated a life very much out of the ordinary but also plagued with loss. I’m still waiting for the Eekhout translation (from Dutch) to arrive. Tickets and more info on the event available here.
Also at the Société de Lecture, I will be interviewing Deborah Levy on May 29th. I’m a huge fan of Levy’s writing, especially her memoir trilogy. Really looking forward to both these conversations.
My third literary interview of the first half of this year is with Bern-based Kim Hays whose third book, A Fondness for Truth is coming out in April. Kim is having her Swiss launch on June 13th in the Progr venue in Bern. Her Polizei Bern crime novels are cracking good reads, showing the murky side of Swiss life.
Then there is the event connected to the Irish Festival Fribourg/Freiburg. We haven’t got an exact date yet but it will be in the week of March 11th to 17th – Ireland Week. All being well, we’ll have a pop-up historical exhibition in Fribourg about Ireland’s early ties to the European Continent. Think saints and scholars. Details to follow soon.
Writing talk
As for my own writing, I’m still working on my second novel and hope to submit it soon. It’s a story about human connection, where we rejoin two of the characters from Voting Day whose paths cross again in the present day.
I’m also very pleased to have a memoir essay published in the Sunday Miscellany Anthology, edited by Sarah Binchy, which won Irish Book of the Year at the Irish Books Awards in November. It’s nice to have a tiny share of the glory (100+ contributors), even if it’s from a distance. My essay Northern Sky is about the time I went to Russia as a student in the early 1990s and met some Irish language enthusiasts there. You can listen to me reading the piece on radio here.
Speaking of radio, I will be interviewed on Dublin South FM on February 23rd. You can listen live to the programme Rhyme and Reason with Helen Dwyer or listen to the podcast after the show has aired. It’s a chat about books, life and Switzerland with some poetry and music.
Apart from the culture and books, I am carrying on with my regular freelance work and weighing up other options. One thing I’m looking at is possibly to train as a secular funeral celebrant in Switzerland. There’s a long story behind that, which I’ll tell another time.
Very best wishes for 2024! If you’ve any exciting plans or good news, do let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reminding me about your interviews–the one with Eekhout is on my calendar! I’m proud to see my name in your blog with hers and, in particular, Deborah Levy’s—someone who has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize THREE times! As for your wonderful essay, I’m so pleased to have a chance to listen to you read it.
Clare, congratulations on securing these interviews. I will sign up for the Levy if there’s still availability (Swimming Home was fascinating, and I have heard all the best possible things about the memoir trilogy). I’ll also sign up for the one with Kim Hays. Hopefully I can get a signed copy of her first novel as I have admired her writing since BEFORE she first started publishing (an Irish farmer pissing on lettuces submitted as a conference reading is a particular memory)! Brava, Clare.
Thank you so much, Jennifer. There should definitely be availability for the Levy event. I’m really going to enjoy preparing for that one. It would be great if you could come to Kim’s launch too. I’ll let her know you’re interested.