‘At Home in Fermanagh and Omagh: A Literary Atlas’ launched
8th October 2019
A creative writing anthology called ‘At Home in Fermanagh and Omagh District: A Literary Atlas’ has been launched.
Focusing on themes related to reflecting on, promoting and manifesting life in Fermanagh and Omagh the ‘Literary Atlas’ includes original works of poetry and short prose written by participants on Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Artsland programme.
Earlier this year more than 200 people aged from 8-10 and over 50 took part in writing workshops facilitated by Artsland International Artist in Residence, Nancy Cook, where they were challenged to focus on their strengths, discover new talents and capture the richness of life in the written word drawing from history, memory and personal experience.
Launching ‘At Home in Fermanagh and Omagh: A Literary Atlas’, Vice Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Diana Armstrong, said:
“Artsland brought artists from across the globe to live, work and create in the Fermanagh and Omagh district with a range of local community, youth and other groups.The Literary Atlas captures beautifully the range and fullness of life in Fermanagh and Omagh. It is clear that much work has been undertaken to create this anthology and I would like to congratulate all those who helped to create this thought provoking and personal reflection on Fermanagh and Omagh.This inter-generational immersive approach to storytelling and reflection is worthy of much praise and the resulting works should be retained as a colourful narrative of life in our district.”
Copies of the Literary Atlas, edited by former Artsland International Artist in Residence, Nancy Cook, will be available to view in libraries and schools across the Fermanagh and Omagh district.
Speaking about the Literary Atlas, Nancy Cook said:
“The goal of this project was to create a poetic picture and storytelling map of Fermanagh and Omagh District as seen through the eyes of those who know it best. It is not intended to be comprehensive or a necessarily proportional representation of the region; as curator, I had to work with the submissions I received. It is, however, intended to be non-exclusive, and as inclusive of multiple outlooks, personal experiences, writing styles, and points of view as possible.It has been a great honour to be part of this ongoing enterprise, and I hope with this publication to give a little something back to the place that welcomed me.”
Artsland is a programme bringing artists from across the globe to live, work and create in the Fermanagh and Omagh district with artists residing at Aughakillymaude Mummers Centre, Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh or An Creágan Centre, Creggan, Co. Tyrone for a number of months. As part of their residency, each artist delivers a programme of social engagement activities with a range of local community, youth and other groups across three key themes – Arts for All; Multiple Identities; and Loughs, Bogs and Mountains.
Artsland is funded by the Arts Council NI and Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. The programme is helping to create new artworks, develop new skills and expertise, and create further exhibition and performance opportunities in the district. The programme runs until December 2019.