Creative writing initiative bringing people together
A panel of writers are all set to work closely with local groups, individuals, schools, and library branches to foster creative expression and make writing more accessible to all.
Cork County Council Library and Arts Service this week announced the nine writers selected for Writers Block, an ambitious new creative writing initiative that will bring communities across the county together through the written word.
The writers appointed are Kieran Crowley, Arnold Thomas Fanning, Matthew Geden, Patrick Holloway, Mary Noonan, Leeanne O’Donnell, Colm Scully, Molly Twomey, and Josh Wagner.
The programme will run throughout 2026 and 2027, with writers appointed to specific areas of the county to ensure deep and sustained engagement at a local level.
Mayor of County Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley said: “Writers Block will see nine talented writers will work with a diverse range of audiences, including older people, youth groups, new communities, Traveller groups, LGBT+ groups, and other communities.
“At the heart of the programme, the writers will collaborate with fellow writers on shared events, collective outputs, and knowledge exchange. We hope this way of working will have meaningful outcomes for both the writers and the communities they choose to work with.”
Kieran Crowley is an author of five children’s books including ‘The Mighty Dynamo’ and ‘The Santa List’. Crowley has delivered writing workshops across Ireland and the UK for over a decade. A recipient of Arts Council and Cork County Council literature bursaries, he was shortlisted for the RTÉ/P.J. O’Connor Radio Drama Award (2024). His workshops focus on curiosity, confidence-building, and the joy of storytelling.
Arnold Thomas Fanning is based in East Cork and is widely published, appearing in the ‘Dublin Review’, ‘Banshee’, ‘Gorse’, ‘The Lonely Crowd’, ‘The Stinging Fly’, and elsewhere. He has held multiple residencies including Arts Council Writer in Residence at University of Galway. His memoir ‘Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery’ was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize. Arnold is an experienced facilitator of life writing and memoir workshops.
Matthew Geden is a poet, translator, and creative writing facilitator. He moved from the English midlands to Kinsale in 1990. His recent publications include ‘The Cloud Architect’ (2022) and ‘Ocean of Earth: Selected Poems of Guillaume Apollinaire’ (2024). He has held residencies in Nanjing Literature Centre (2019) and with Cork County Library and Arts Service (2020–2023).
Patrick Holloway is an award-winning writer of fiction and poetry. His debut novel, ‘The Language of Remembering’ (2025) received critical acclaim, with a second novel due in 2027. His work appears in ‘The Stinging Fly’, ‘The Moth’, ‘The London Magazine’, ‘The Irish Times’, ‘Southword’ and more. He has won major prizes including The Bath Short Story Prize and The Molly Keane Creative Writing Prize. Patrick is also a co-editor of ‘The Four Faced Liar’ journal and the 2026 Writer in Residence at Maynooth University.
Mary Noonan’s debut collection ‘The Fado House’ (2012) was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize and the Strong/Shine Award. Her second collection ‘Stone Girl’ (2019) was shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Poetry Prize. Her third collection is forthcoming, and a French selection ‘Dans un Autre Compartiment’ (Apic Editions) was published in 2025. Mary has extensive experience in poetry editing, mentorship and curation.
Leeanne O’Donnell is a writer and podcaster based in West Cork. She is the author of ‘Sparks of Bright Matter’ (2024), praised by The Irish Times as “exquisitely deep” and by The Sunday Times as “a debut novel of great imagination”. A former RTÉ and BBC radio producer, she has created several award winning documentaries. She also produces ‘Into the Mythic’, a podcast exploring Irish mythology. She is currently working on an experimental second novel.
Colm Scully is a Cork poet and poetry film maker. He is the author of ‘Neanderthal Boy’ (2025). His poetry has appeared in ‘Southword’, ‘Cyphers’, ‘Crannóg’, ‘Howl’, ‘Swerve’ and ‘Poetry Ireland Review’. He is an award-winning poetry film creator whose work has screened at festivals including Cork International Film Festival and Fastnet Film Festival. Colm teaches poetry film and has won the Deanna Tulley Multimedia Prize and the Cúirt New Writing Prize.
Molly Twomey is originally from Lismore and now living in Cork. She has published two collections with ‘The Gallery Press: Raised Among Vultures’ (2022) and ‘Chic to Be Sad’ (2025). Her debut won the Southword Debut Collection Poetry Award and was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for Best First Collection. She holds an MA in Creative Writing and is a PhD Excellence Scholar at University College Cork.
Josh Wagner is originally from Montana and now settled in Ireland. He is a multi-disciplinary writer whose work spans fiction, theatre, comics and film, with awards across these fields. His work has been published by ‘Image Comics’, ‘Fish Publishing’, ‘Cleaver Magazine’, ‘Fractured Lit’, and the ‘Lovecraft eZine’. He holds a BA in Creative Writing (University of Montana), an MSc (University of Edinburgh), and is completing a PhD in Creative Practice at University College Cork.
The Writers Block programme is managed by Cork County Council Library and Arts Service and supported by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.