Join Dr Katriona O'Sullivan in conversation with Deirdre O'Shaughnessy @deshocks Book your tickets 👉️ corkworldbookfest.ticketsolve.com/shows/873661... Hungry is the powerful new memoir from Number One bestselling author Katriona O'Sullivan - a raw, beautifully written exploration of survival and

Another exclusive to CWBF, Fionn Rogan’s debut poetry chapbook, published as part of the Cork World Book Fest Commissions, will have its first outing tonight at Plugd Records and Café with the inimitable Mick O’Shea on spokes, cogs and puncture repair kit.

Dán na Caillí is a multimedia performance featuring newly commissioned poetry about the Caillleach by Laoighseach Ní Choistealbha, Dairena Ní Chinnéide & Eithne Ní Ghallchobhair. With songs from composer, vocalist &instrumentalist Síle Denvir; & on-screen visuals from artist Margaret Lonergan.

A conversation and reading with Catalan novelist and multi-award-winning poet Xavier Mas Craviotto @xmascraviotto.bsky.social, who will be joined onstage by long-time CWBF collaborator Professor Helena Buffery, for our annual celebration of the Catalan San Jordi Day of Books and Roses.

Cynthia Menéndez is a writer and bookseller from Vigo, Galicia. She studied English, French, Portuguese & Italian at universities in England, Wales, France, the United States, Canada & Portugal. She travels, reads & writes. «Son coma glaciares os barcos de aceiro» (Galaxia, 2025) is her first novel.

John Spillane and Cónal Creedon require little by way of introduction. Both Cónal and John’s creative output is firmly rooted in people, place and story. Their music and spoken word collaborations span decades, captivating audiences from Cork to Shanghai to Belfast and many points in between.

Balsam Karam’s debut Event Horizon is an earth-shattering read. Through her poetic and alluringly beautiful prose she highlights sisterhood and motherhood, but also deportation, oppression, depravity, revolt, insurgency and torture. Event Horizon is powerfully moral, indignant, rebellious.

He was last in town for a chat with Roy Keane at the Marquee and we felt it was time to have Ireland’s favourite Dubliner, Roddy Doyle, down to Cork World Book Fest for a conversation with CWBF regular, Paul McVeigh. Book your tickets 👉️ triskelarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/873662...

An important aspect of our Getting Published Day is hearing from an author who has ‘done it’. This year, Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin speaks with Neil Tully about his upcoming debut novel.

Join Dr Harry Barry and Oona Frawley for insights into grief, memory, resilience and more. In conversation with PJ Coogan. Book your tickets 👉️ triskelarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/873662...

A delightful storytelling session where children can enjoy enchanting tales told in Arabic and English. Perfect for little ears to explore language, imagination, and the joy of stories.

Getting to read your work in front of literary agents and receive feedback is invaluable, which is why it’s no surprise First Page Pitch has become an integral part of Cork World Book Fest’s Get Published Day.

The teenagers of Write Club, Cork’s brilliant youth writing group hosted by Fighting Words at Graffiti Theatre, are teaming up with the dynamic young event organisers of Waterford’s Lit Festival to co-host Cork’s very first Story Slam for young people.

Join London based agents Jade Kavanagh (Darley Anderson Literary Agency) and Simon Trewin (Simon Trewin Creative) to discover how the publishing industry works and what you need to do to achieve success. In conversation with Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin aka Sam Blake @samblakebooks.bsky.social

Guided by Laurie (The Learning Garden School), young participants will spend 90 minutes turning the ‘ordinary’ into the ‘extraordinary’. Booking required 👉️ www.eventbrite.ie/e/paper-craf...

Expect a showcase of some of the best booksellers from the city and surrounds, great food and family entertainment. All welcome! Produced by Goldiefish Markets.

Recorded live for RTÉ Radio 1, SPOKEN STORIES is a themed-led trilogy of original, commissioned stories from some of the most dynamic contemporary writers associated with Ireland and the short story as they navigate the imaginative breadth of what it is to be alive in the world in our time.

Eva Meijer is a philosopher, writer, visual artist, and singer-songwriter. They wrote over twenty books: novels, philosophical essays, poetry and academic monographs, including the international bestsellers Animal Languages and Bird Cottage. Their work has been translated into more than twenty

This Is Not a Cookbook uniquely blends memoir with food writing alongside evocative lithographic artwork. The vignettes in the book chronicle Manouchehri’s childhood growing up in Tehran in the ‘80s following the Iranian Revolution, the profound influence of the women who surrounded her, and the

Sam Blake, whose YA novel Something's About to Blow Up won the Irish Teen/YA Novel of the Year in 2024, will be talking about mystery and character in Cork this April.

Children’s author Christina CM Neary reads from her new book, The Boogies. Christina speaks about dyslexia, her personal connection to it, and why she is passionate about helping children build confidence and enjoyment in reading. More about Christina 👉️ corkworldbookfest.com/writers/c-m-...

Cork World Book Festival is delighted to announce Rosamund Taylor’s Filly as Cork City Libraries’ One City One Book 2026. Filly (Banshee Press, 2025) is a gripping and genre-bending coming of age story centred on Orla, who is discovering her sexuality in the hostile and misogynistic world of

Showcasing debut authors is always a thrill for us! More corkworldbookfest.com/events/cwbf-... @barbleahy.bsky.social corkworldbookfest.com/writers/barb... Djamel White corkworldbookfest.com/writers/djam... @sarahharte.bsky.social corkworldbookfest.com/writers/sara...

Friendship and solidarity; camaraderie and most of all the astutely observed line is what enables these poets to trace the darkest moments, and yes, rising scathed, to breathe much needed air into the claustrophobia of our world. Whether the slow soul-ticking night shift at the plastics factory, or

Republic of Consciousness Award Winner 2025 Gaëlle Bélem chats with one of her translators Laëtitia Saint-Loubert. More corkworldbookfest.com/events/the-r... @gaellebelem.bsky.social corkworldbookfest.com/writers/gael... @laetitia-stloubert.bsky.social corkworldbookfest.com/writers/laet...

The art of writing is often defined as the art of close reading, or the art of reading with a pen in your hand. And there are no closer readers than a translator or a novelist forever learning their craft.

Everyone has worries, but sometimes they get SO BIG they stop us from doing things that are important to us. Join Canadian picture book author Sal Sawler for a reading of their new book, Ellis on Guard, and a chance to collaborate with others on a very special ABC Book of Bravery.

This highly engaging and participation driven session is for children under 5 and their carers. Participants will read simple stories, make music with shakers, sing and play with scarves, puppets and the parachute. It's great fun for everyone. Deirdre Ryan, MScEd is a teacher and parent educator.

Written with warmth, humour, and unflinching honesty, Somewhere Cold explores a remarkable year in the High Arctic as Geraldine Osborne, her artist husband Danny, and their three young children embark on an extraordinary adventure: to spend a year living in one of the most isolated parts of the

Are we certain of the here and now, or mostly juking between back then and over there? Striding the possibilities of many nations, teasing the residues, probing absences, talking to ghosts?

This Community Poetry Anthology is a collection resulting from Cork City Libraries inaugural Poet-in-the-Community residency with Jenny Mitchell funded by Creative Ireland.

So you’ve done the hard work of creating a comic but don’t know where to submit it or how to get it into the hands of a publisher? We’ve all been there. It turns out writing is only half the battle. Getting your work into the hands of someone who can make it happen is another story entirely.

Join us for the launch of this year’s Teen Graphic Novel. It will be hosted by editors Colin O'Mahoney and Mari Rolin, and will feature artists from the Teen Graphic Novel Committee discussing the project and their work. Copies of the 2026 Teen Graphic Novel will be available at the launch.

Join us for this 60-minute interactive creative writing session combining short readings, live writing prompts, and audience participation. The event blends humour, reflection, and creativity, inviting participants to explore storytelling and imagination in an open, supportive atmosphere.

The 22nd edition of this unique anthology, The Unfinished Book of Poetry, will be launched by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy, and attended by student writers who will read their poems, alongside their tutors, the Community Arts officer, TY teachers and library staff.

Award-winning poet Jenny Mitchell @JennyMitchellgo hosts a relaxed, non-judgemental teen poetry workshop to celebrate a love of reading. How can we write about what reading means to us? Can books help us know about our own identity? What stories do we want to tell the world about ourselves?

‘Not just a book about music, All Roads Lead To Where You Are is about risk and reinvention, about what happens when you step into the unknown and trust that you’ll find yourself there. corkworldbookfest.com/events/all-r...

***Cork World Book Festival Exclusive*** Join us for the launch of Rituals, Danielle McLaughlin’s second novel published by The Stinging Fly Press. Danielle will be in conversation with Siobhán Rea, a Dublin-based artist and teacher whose work spans the disciplines of painting, multi-media and

Cork World Book Fest 2026 kicks off on Tuesday 21 April in Cork City Library and we're delighted to be joined by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Fergal Dennehy who will officially open our extravaganza of books, writers and readers. All welcome!

Shaunna Lee Lynch launches The Goddess Complex, an unmissable feminist YA dystopian tale, inspired by real Irish history. The event will include a reading, an author talk, audience Q&A, and a book signing.

Author Leona Forde explores the Wonderful World of Milly McCarthy. Milly is a complete catastrophe, a total magnet for mayhem. Whether it's disastrous dancing, shambolic sports days or Haunted House Hullabooloo!, Milly always leaves a trail of chaos behind her.

***COVER REVEAL*** Don't you just love the cover of our 2026 brochure? Kieran Rigby in Coolgrey encapsulates our fest in a beautiful image, paying homage to the Catalan tradition of exchanging books & roses on 23 April, the Feast of Sant Jordi. Stay tuned for more on this year's festival line-up!

We're delighted to invite entries from writers who want to take part in this year's First Page Pitch. Enter now tinyurl.com/FirstPagePitch Potential pitchers are invited to submit a 50-word synopsis of their book along with the first 500 words for consideration. Deadline 5pm on Mon 9 Mar 2026

The days are getting shorter, it's now even cosier to curl up with a good book and it's getting ever closer to our next festival. For now, #savethedate CWBF returns in 2026 from Tuesday 21 - Sunday 26 April. #bookinspo #bookfest #purecork

E.R. Murray @elizabethrosemurray writes novels, short stories and poetry for children and young adults. Her novels include Arabella Pepper - The Wild Detective, featuring beautiful illustrations by Monika Pollak, and the award-winning Nine Lives Trilogy; The Book of Learning (Dublin UNESCO Citywide

Lauren O’Donovan @LaurenODonovanW.bsky.social has won the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award, Cúirt New Writing Prize, Southword Subscriber’s Poetry Prize and, most recently, the Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition. Lauren is a grateful recipient of Cork County Council Arts and Arts Council funding.

Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe is the Commissioning Editor at Skein Press @skeinpress, Poetry Editor at Fallow Media, & Contributing Editor with The Stinging Fly. A Next Generation Artist with the Arts Council of Ireland, she serves as a member of the Expert Advisory Committee to Culture Ireland & on the Board

Nick Caistor is a British writer and translator with a special interest in Latin America and Spain. He has published books on Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and the Mexican poet Octavio Paz, as well as cultural guides to Mexico City and Buenos Aires. He has translated many Latin American and Spanish

Sa bhliain 2023, ceapadh Aifric Mac Aodha ina scríbhneoir cónaithe le DCU. Tá sí ag obair ina heagarthóir Gaeilge le Poetry Ireland Review, gorse agus The Stinging Fly. D’fhoilsigh An Sagart an chéad chnuasach filíochta léi, Gabháil Syrinx, sa bhliain 2010. Bhronn An Chomhairle Ealaíon mórchuid

Nadine Hughes Campbell is the award-nominated author of the Noah’s Adventure series, a vibrant collection of children’s picture books that inspire cultural understanding, diversity, and inclusion through travel-filled storytelling. Wife and mum to two little ones and a dog,