Elaine Feeney to Feature at Belfast Book Festival in Conversation with Louise Kennedy

Renowned author and poet Elaine Feeney is set to make a captivating appearance at the Belfast Book Festival on Wednesday, 12th June. Feeney will be joined on stage at the Cathedral Arts Centre by fellow celebrated author Louise Kennedy to discuss her latest novel, How To Build A Boat (Vintage Publishing, 2023).

How To Build A Boat tells the transformative story of a young boy whose unique mission significantly impacts the lives of his teachers, Tess and Tadhg, and brings a community together. The novel, written with tenderness and verve, explores themes of love, family, connection, and the power of imagination, highlighting that our greatest adventures are never undertaken alone.

Elaine Feeney, who writes poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, has an impressive literary resume. Her debut novel, As You Were, won the Dalkey Emerging Writer Prize, The Kate O’Brien Prize, the Society of Authors’ McKitterick Prize, and was shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and the Rathbones-Folio Prize. How To Build A Boat, her second novel, has been longlisted for The Booker Prize, shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, and won the Tatler Literature Award in 2023. Feeney’s works have been widely published, including in The Paris Review, The Stinging Fly, The Moth, Poetry Review, and The Guardian. Her new collection, All the Good Things You Deserve, is forthcoming in 2024. She also lectures at the University of Galway.

Joining Feeney in conversation will be Louise Kennedy, who grew up in Holywood, Co. Down. Kennedy’s short stories have appeared in esteemed journals such as The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, Banshee, Wasifiri, and Ambit. She has also written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, BBC Radio 4, and RTE Radio 1. Kennedy’s accolades include being shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in 2019 and 2020.

This event promises to be a highlight of the Belfast Book Festival, offering attendees a unique opportunity to gain insights into Feeney’s latest work and the creative processes of two of Ireland’s most compelling contemporary writers. The discussion will delve into the inspirations behind How To Build A Boat, the intricacies of writing, and the broader themes explored in their literary works.

Tickets for this must-see event are available through the Belfast Book Festival’s website.