Mary Kenny was a founder-member of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement and has seen many shifts, changes and developments in women’s rights and the definition of feminism. Wise, witty, thought-provoking and provocative, Am I A Feminist? Are You? sums up a lifetime of experience.

Part testament, part memoir, part historical explanation – this is a personal appraisal of what feminism has meant, accomplished and prompted over the past five decades. There is light and shade: serious debates about serious subjects, from FGM and abortion to women soldiers and transgenderism – but also entertaining vignettes and anecdotes on the role of the bicycle, hair dye, and the sex revolution.

Praise for Mary Kenny

‘Kenny brings both compassion and a clear mind.’ – The Guardian

‘Honest, humorous and harrowing … one thing that never changed is her innate gift to write sharp, perceptive and clever prose.’ – Irish Mail on Sunday

About the Author

Mary Kenny is an Irish author, broadcaster, playwright and journalist. She is a regular columnist for the Irish Independent, and has written for the London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Sunday Telegraph. Her books have focused on issues of social history, biography – and Ireland. For more on Mary’s writings see www.mary-kenny.com

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Spanning self-help, humour, biography, history and a little bit of spirituality, here is a wonderful example of Mary Kenny’s signature wit, talent and charm.

Mary Kenny is an Irish author, broadcaster, playwright and journalist. She is a regular columnist for the Irish Independent, and has written for the London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph. She was a founding member of the Women’s Liberation Movement and has published many books of both fiction and non-fiction.

The post A Day At A Time: Thoughts and Reflections through the Seasons appeared first on New Island Books.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the Irish Writers Centre, Beyond the Centre: Writers in their own Words is a landmark anthology of essays by some of Ireland’s foremost contemporary writers, specially commissioned and edited by Declan Meade, publisher of The Stinging Fly.

By turns provocative, poignant, and practical, these candid accounts touch on various themes such as the craft of writing, the Irish literary scene through the decades, the struggle to make a living, and other snapshots of the writing experience. And controversy is never far from the surface – social class, diversity, gender, exclusion, nationalism, eremitism and ego all make spiky, colourful appearances.

Diverse and engaging, many pieces are also deeply personal, with honest and humorous anecdotes, offering an uncommon and revealing look into the lives and perspectives of contemporary Irish writers.
Here are their successes as well as their setbacks; the trials and the triumphs; the demands and rewards that writing affords. Beyond the Centre reveals the dedication and courage that define the writing life.

With essays by:
Kevin Barry, Pat Boran, Evelyn Conlon, Sarah Clancy, Dominique Cleary, Martina Devlin, Rob Doyle, Anne Enright, Mia Gallagher, Jack Harte, Anne Haverty, Lia Mills, Catherine Phil MacCarthy, Thomas McCarthy, Lisa McInerney, Belinda McKeon, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Joseph O’Connor, Mary O’Donnell, Mary O’Malley, Sean O’Reilly, Ian Sansom, Peter Sirr, Gerard Smyth, Alan Titley

Declan Meade is the founding editor and publisher of The Stinging Fly magazine and commissioned this collection of essays as part of the Irish Writers Centre’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

The Irish Writers Centre has long been a hub of literary activity, supporting established and aspiring writers throughout Ireland from its base in 19 Parnell Square, Dublin.
www.irishwriterscentre.ie

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