One of the first literary guests we can confirm is the wonderful Jessica Traynor, returning to the Allingham Festival three years after she gave a very memorable Allingham Lecture on the connections between Yeats and Allingham. Jessica makes regular appearances on the RTÉ Poetry Programme and other shows, and gives readings and hosts workshops around the county.
Jessica's first collection of poetry, Liffey Swim, was published by Dedalus Press in 2014. In 2015, she was commissioned by the Irish Writers Centre and Ireland 2016 to write a poem as part of the Easter Rising Commemorations. The 2014 recipient of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary, she was nominated for a 2015 Pushcart Prize, named Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year in 2013 and won the 2011 Listowel Poetry Prize.