Literature

By Hubert O'Hearn and Bianca Da Silva This Belfast Book Festival has proven so far to be an absolute joy, with the only debate being what has been the most thought-provoking: Is it the discussions and readings in the various workshops, or the spontaneous chats in the Crescent Arts Centre happening over coffee? Writers in their unique and splendid way are rather like zoo animals that one hears of escaping from captivity, gamboling through cities with literal unbounded glee. Release...

Hubert O'Hearn with Bianca da Silva We were somewhere around Belfast on the edge of the Mourne Mountains when the rains began to take hold. I remember saying something like "We'll still be on time ; absolutely you should drive..." And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge, bowler-hatted DUP drummers, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an...

I ask you, who amongst us has not at some point wanted a few tips as to how to commit the perfect murder? Aha! Made you smile! However we'll just ignore that little glance you just made, the one where your eyes lifted from your iPad and leveled on that burping bag of fart across the room. He's your problem, not mine and if you ask me any more questions I'm lawyering up. Besides, I'm no expert on murder, although...

There are two things about April K. Hunter that will initially surprise you, yet both have massively contributed towards her skill and success as a writer. The first is that she has worked as a professional wrestler for nearly twenty years. All those years, all those miles, all those less talented or momentarily absent-minded opponents have dealt her the lasting aches of broken bones, blown out knees and ear drums that are the life-long reminders of her first art. Indeed,...

Eventually we learn at least three things over the course of a long and frequently lively life – our wit and charm is not enhanced by copious drinking no matter what we think at the time, the pain of a loss lasts longer than the thrill of a win, and don't get your hopes up. There are more of course (the two things in life everyone you know thinks they know how to do better than you know how to...

I suppose there really is a first time for everything. One starts to firmly believe that there is nothing – nothing! - new to be found between the covers of a book. After all, Aristotle nailed down the six elements of plot twenty-four hundred years ago and even the most experimental, supposedly plotless modern fiction has within it a structure just as finely tuned and balanced as the honeycomb of a bee hive. Well, if it's any good anyway. After...

1.Book Fight with Tom McAllister and Mike Ingram Writers Tom and Mike have come to feel like friends, we drink beer together, I listen to them ramble, sometimes about books and literary movements, but other times about Philadelphia, poptarts, the state of America, racoons and a baby detective who wears a denim diaper (in-joke). An irreverent mix of pop culture, politics, literary gossip and serious book reviewing. 2. The Moth The top pick, as voted by judges from within the...

The 50 greatest storytellers of all time have been revealed, with Ed Sheeran, Banksy and Eminem outranking Jack Kerouac and John Lennon. Despite been a pioneer of the Beat Generation and renowned for his method of spontaneous prose Kerouac still couldn't out-place Castle on the Hill author Sheeran, who ranked in 29th spot. Imagine and Jealous Guy song-writer John Lennon scraped into the top 50 in 49th place, one spot ahead of Kevin Spacey. Roald Dahl was named the greatest storyteller of all time, topping the...

Satirical writing probably seems like a very challenging thing to attempt, especially if you are an inexperienced writer. But, you can use satire in writing once you learn how. Of course, understanding that satire is comedic criticism will more than likely help you in the process? You will see satirical writing aimed at current news and other broad topics that most people are well-aware of them. It means that before you can start writing whole satire pieces, you will have...