Writing Personal Essays with Ellen Brickley

From the New Yorker to Sunday Miscellany, personal essays are everywhere. They can be moving, abstract, literary, grounded, heartbreaking and hilarious – and anyone can write them. 

In this half-day session, through exercises and discussion, we will generate ideas for personal essays, and consider whether anything is too boring to write about. We will cover the classic essay structure, avoiding cliches, experimenting, and ethics of writing about real life. Finally, we’ll discuss publishing personal essays in Ireland and internationally.

This session is suitable for beginners, or for writers with some experience who want to experiment with a new form.

Ellen Brickley is a writer and cultural heritage manager who lives and works in Dublin. She is a grateful recipient of two bursary awards and two Agility Awards from the Arts Council, and her essays have appeared in Banshee, Sonder, Trasna, Annie and the Irish Times. She has taught for Big Smoke Writing Factory and Trinity College Dublin.