News: 2021

January ‘21

Thank you all, buyers and bookshops, for your wonderful support over the Christmas season.
If you would like to receive our bi-monthly newsletter, please subscribe to our website.
Our next newsletter will appear in February.
If you are interested in submitting work for consideration, please read the submission guidelines in our 'About' drop-down menu.

March ‘21

By the time our submission window closed, at the end of February, we had received manuscripts in many genres - fiction, non-fiction and poetry. This will be read by a panel of four readers over the next three months.
Two of Angela Keogh's radio plays were broadcast this year. The first of which, The Winter Dress, can be heard on the following link:
https://soundcloud.com/kclr96fm/the-winter-dress-by-angela-keogh

John MacKenna will present a two-part online workshop on the life and work of Leonard Cohen at the Molly Keane Writers' Retreat via Zoom this weekend, March 13th and 14th. Full details available at this link: https://www.themollykeanehouse.com/

Congratulations to Caroline Heffernan, whose fifty word piece on The End of Winter was selected for inclusion in our latest newsletter. The piece appears below. If you would like to receive our bi-monthly newsletter, please subscribe to the website.

THE END OF WINTER

The fire flickers as dusk descends.
‘Dad,’ I shout, as you stumble when you stand.
Face fallen, speech slurred, I tremble as I dial 999.
Ambulance arrives.
Stroke confirmed.
A precautionary test before your rehab reveals the worst.
Three weeks later your final winter ends.

Caroline Heffernan

May ‘21

Thanks to all who submitted manuscripts for consideration. The readers are still working their way through many of the manuscripts and, if you haven't already heard from us, you will in the coming weeks. The variety of themes and voices was exciting.

In the coming weeks we will have news of our next publication, a first collection of poems from a Kilkenny based writer.

Thank you to those who submitted their fifty word pieces on the theme 'April is the Cruelest Month'. Congratulations to Irene Crawley whose work is published below.

APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH

You planted the daffodils the week before you died,

And no man has solved this mystery, and many great men have tried,

Why with every April shower your daffodils raise their heads,

Yet an ocean of all man’s tears will never raise the dead.

Irene Crawley

July ‘21

50 Word Submission to our newsletter

IN THE SUMMERTIME

Tarmac bubbles and windows gasp,

The smell of grass and charcoal in the air.

Small hands reach for passing butterflies.

First love toasted with cans of cheap cider.

Mowing done, two worn deckchairs beckon.

Laughter rises above thin wooden fences

And joins in harmony in a cloudless sky.

Niamh Donnellan

It's been a busy time at The Harvest Press and we have finally completed the reading of, and responses to, the many manuscripts which were submitted in January. Thank you to the readers and, most importantly, to the writers.

Carlow Creatives

The Harvest Press has been selected as one of the Carlow Creatives team. This means that we are working with mentor, Mary Carthy to develop our business, particularly in the areas of marketing and media. We do hope that you will connect with us on our new Instagram page @theharvestpressireland.