“Catch and Release” and other short stories has arrived!

Cork County Council Library & Arts Service has announced the publication of its annual anthology of short stories “From the Well”. This staple of the Cork literary scene, now in its sixteenth iteration, is arriving on bookshelves just in time for the festive period.

Full of tales from across the county and the country, this year’s edition is titled ‘Catch & Release’, in honour of 2020’s winning submission written by Deirdre Kingston. ‘Catch & Release’ is a poignant tale of two kids navigating adolescence in Cork and was selected from dozens of entrants in what the competition’s co-judge author Billy O’Callaghan termed “an extremely competitive and extremely talented selection.” Deirdre’s story is joined by 19 other entrants to make the 16^th edition of the anthology.

In a break from tradition, the winning entry and two runners-up were published aurally this summer. As Covid 19 delayed the physical publication of the collection, the Council’s Library & Arts Service commissioned the production of these three stories as podcast-style recordings. The “From the Well” podcasts series is available on www.corkcoco.ie,

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the latest publication,

“Given the difficulties faced by the Arts and by writers this year, this series has been a huge boost for the Arts and for the people of Cork County. We don’t know what next year, or next month, will bring but we do know that we can always depend on the talent of writers such as this. We are delighted to publish these short stories and would like to sincerely thank all those who submitted entries this year. After all, there is nothing that can compare to curling up by the fire with a new book.”

Cork County Council Library & Arts Service is very proud to release From the Well for a sixteenth time, marking a culmination of literary events for 2020 that began with the appointment of Matthew Geden as Cork County Council Writer in Residence. This year also brought readings in Nanjing, China, online fiction and poetry workshops, commissioned films and recordings for Poetry Day Ireland and the West Cork Literary Festival, a Children’s Book Festival that beamed in to classrooms across Cork County and a Culture Night that featured literary walking tours and readings in English and as Gaeilge.

The “From the Well” collection of stories is available to borrow from any of the Council’s 25 local library branches or 4 mobile libraries. A limited number of books are available to purchase at €5 from the Cork County Arts Office by contacting arts@corkcoco.ie.

Submissions for the 2021 “From the Well” anthology will soon be accepted. If you, or someone you know is interested in submitting a story, follow Cork County Arts on social media for latest news and updates.