Our submissions close 30th of June.
Time is flying.
It felt so far away when submissions opened first, and now it’s only around the corner.
I am so grateful; as ever we are inundated with submissions. As ever, the standard of writing and art really blows me away.
However, I am sure that there are some people wondering what we are looking for. What our readers like to read, etc.
In fact this was asked a few weeks ago on an Instagram Q&A… which I completely forgot to respond to.
Photo of talented writer and previous Wex Boh contributor Meritxell Grau Butinyac taken by Jimi Revets at the launch of The Wexford Bohemian Issue Four
In Wexford, we are blessed with a wonderful community of talented writers. In all honesty, the majority of my favourite writers are really my own friends.
Margaret Galvin, Anne Cousins, Conor Lyons, Paul Hennessy, Deirdre McGarry, John Cooney, Ronán Berry and Daithí Kavanagh are all insanely talented writers that never cease to amaze me. Their ranging themes, recognisable style, strong voice, relatability, use of poetic techniques and readability are my favourite elements.
If you would like to check out some of their work, Our House Delirious by Margaret Galvin came out last year along with be like water by Deirdre McGarry (and edited by yours truly), any collection by John Cooney is as incredible as the next one, The Small House Co-Operative by Daithí Kavanagh is pure Wexican storytelling.
Would it be any surprise that the town’s favourite bookseller, Wally O’Neill, is also a talented writer?
While picking up previous copies of The Wexford Bohemian, have a hunt for the South Wexford Writers’ collection Some Write with Glue to check out his stuff.
Other literary journals we adore include The Moth (which unfortunately is now focusing on writing competitions), The Stinging Fly, Icarus, The Dublin Review, The Paris Review, Gorse, The Waxed Lemon, Wexford Women Writing Undercover and Women’s Work, but to name a few.
Our (and my ‘we’ I mean myself as editor and my great group of readers) favourite poets based outside of Wexford would include Wendy Cope, Paul Durcan, Brendan Behan, Kevin Higgins, Raymond Queneau, Bob Dylan, Seamus Heaney and Doireann Ní Ghríofa.
Speaking of, don’t forget that Irish language submissions are also welcome. Bilingual author Mary Ní Bhriain (also one of our Wexford friends) does it brilliantly, and we had the honour of featuring Niall O Siadhail’s wonderful story in our third issue. Featuring Irish language stories, poems, pieces of all forms are important to us and we are proud to have top-class pieces as Gaeilge in each issue.
Some of our favourite Irish-language writers include Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, Manchán Magan, Louis de Paor, Gabriel Rosenstock, and so many many more.
We accept prose of any genre. That includes essays, memoir, short stories, flash fiction, commentaries, interviews, book reviews and anything else you can think of (our last issue even included a haibun if you don’t mind)!
A few of our favourite essayists include Joan Didion, Annie Ernaux, Susan Sontag, Albert Camus, Róisín Kiberd and Rob Doyle. We have featured some exceptional essays within the pages of The Boh, and we want MORE.
As writing gets longer, so does our list of favourite novelists. Peter Murphy who launched and wrote a beautiful foreword for our third issue is one of our favourite writers of all time. Sally Rooney has defined a generation. Roddy Doyle comes from a long line of Wexfordians and is a master of his craft. Colm Tóibín is a genius, not just for his novels but also for his essays. Claire Keegan is another wonderful writer.
Copies of Issue Three and Issue Four are available at Red Books in Wexford or online at theirishbookshop.com. Copies are also available to browse in Wexford Library and Gorey Library. Make sure to have a flick through a copy and see what we featured previously!
Having said all that, something new or unique is more than welcome.
I never liked dystopian pieces until I read Haruki Murakami.
I never liked short-versed poetry until I read Louise Gluck.
I never even understood spoken word poetry until I visited Wicklow town one day at 16.
This is just there to give you an idea, when really you are already full of them.
You can contact me via wexfordbohemian@gmail.com with any other queries or questions.
Beir bua agus le meas,
Álanna x
Captured at Frederick Douglass’ Arts Cabaret; the Wexeditors and special guests