We are delighted to announce that poet Afric McGlinchey will be taking part in this year's Allingham Festival. Afric will host a poetry writing workshop and will read from her work over the weekend. In addition, she will act as judge in the Allingham Poetry competition.
Afric McGlinchey grew up in Ireland and Africa, moving frequently during her childhood and early adult years. She won the Hennessy Poetry Award in 2011, the Northern Liberties Prize (USA) in 2012 and Poets Meet Politics Prize in 2015. Nominated for the Pushcart and Forward prizes, she has also been placed or listed in numerous other competitions, including the Bridport, Plough, Magma, Gregory O’Donoghue, Trocaire/Poetry Ireland and the National Poetry prize. Her début collection, The lucky star of hidden things, published in 2012 by Salmon Poetry, was translated into Italian and published by l’Arcolaio. She has also had work translated into Spanish, Polish and Irish. She received a Cork Country Council Arts Bursary to write her second collection, Ghost of the Fisher Cat, which was has been nominated for the Forward Prize for Best Collection. Afric has read her work at festivals and events all over Ireland as well as in Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England and France. She was selected as one of Ireland’s rising poets in a special issue (118) of Poetry Ireland Review. Afric works as a freelance editor, facilitator and reviewer and lives in West Cork.