The Nerve: An English and Arts Podcast

In this final episode of the podcast for this academic semester, we are joined by the poet Nidhi Zak/ Aria Eipe. Her first poetry collection, Auguries of a Minor God(2021), was selected as a Book of the Year by The Irish Times and The Irish Independent and was shortlisted for major poetry prizes such as the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Butler Literary Award. She is a Global Peace Ambassador with the Institute for Economics and Peace, and a recipient of the Next Generation Artist Award in Literature from the Arts Council of Ireland. Born in India, Nidhi has lived across The Middle East, Europe and North America, an upbringing that has informed the variety of styles and forms that she works within. During the episode, she discusses a workshop on ekphrastic poetry that she ran at SETU Waterford thanks to funding from the Strategic Alignment for Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) from the National Forum. The session used ekphrastic poetry as a way of asking participants to reconsider their perspectives on the world around them, and Nidhi discusses the role of her own poetry in asking questions (rather than offering answers) in times of personal, social and political upheaval.

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by poet and essayist Gustav Parker Hibbett whose debut poetry collection, High Jump As Icarus Story was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize and the 2025 John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize. Nominated for numerous other prizes and published in a wide range of literary magazines, they hold a BA in English from Stanford University and are currently pursuing a PhD in Literary Practice at Trinity College Dublin, where they are an Early Career Research Fellow at the Long Room Hub. Parker gave a talk on their poetry at SETU in March and was interviewed by two final year English students, Chika Dike and Naoise Murphy, who also join the discussion in studio along with Dr Christa de Brún who organised the event. This event was made possible through funding from the National Forum's Strategic Alignment of Teaching Learning Enhancement.

This episode of the podcast follows on from a visit by the author Jan Carson to Waterford as part of the Creative Ireland Shared Island initiative. This project is a collaboration between Mid and East Antrim Borough Councils and Waterford City and County Council who are aiming to develop and enhance a shared sense of community through various means, one of which is creativity and literature. Jan gave a talk at SETU, entitled, “Untangling the Knots of Northern Identity” which explored her identity as a Northern Protestant who identifies as an Irish writer. Jan's novel The Raptures was published in 2022 and was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Novel of the Year award and the Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her novel The Fire Starters won the 2019 EU Prize for Literature for Ireland. She has written a number of short story collections, and her writing has been featured on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and on RTÉ. She has most recently worked alongside Duke Special in adapting The Velveteen Rabbit for the stage and the run begins this month at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast. Her next novel, Few and Far Between, will be released next year.The episode also features Katherine Collins, the Creative Ireland Coordinator in Waterford who discusses the value of the Shared Island project and the power of the arts in helping us to understand one another better.

In this episode, Jenny is joined by Dr Hazel Farrell and Dr Don O'Neill of the Sustainability in the Arts Festival to talk about winning the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) Impact Award and to offer an overview of this year's festival, which will take place from 7th – 11th April. The SATLE Impact prize money of €25,000 will help to expand the work of the previous two festivals  which involved multidisciplinary collaborations between undergraduate and postgraduate students from a variety of disciplines across the Faculty of Arts and Humanities such as Music, Visual Art, Graphic Design, Culinary Arts, Languages and Internationalisation. The aim of the festival is for students to explore the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the event will take place across all SETU campuses in Waterford, Carlow and Wexford.

This very special episode features members of the English and Theatre Studies teaching team at SETU who share their innovative approaches to teaching and research. In studio with Jenny are Dr Kate McCarthy, Dr Christa de Brún, Dr Úna Kealy, Dr Helena Walsh-Kiely and Deirdre Grant who each bring a variety of skills and to their roles. During the episode, we discuss approaches to teaching and learning, the team's ongoing research and creative work, and what we love about our jobs and our students!

Every year, we try to do an episode in which staff from various departments within SETU give us their recommendations for good Christmas reads and activities, and this year is no different! In this episode, Jenny is joined by Neill Wylie, a Learning Technologist from the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning, Dr Caroline McGarry from the School of Education and Dr Felicity Kelliher, a Professor of Management Practice and Academic Lead at the RIKON Centre. Featuring books by Irish authors, and events, activities and products for you to savour during the festive season, this is a must-listen for anyone looking for gift inspiration and some Christmas cheer!

Recently featured in The Sunday Times' Christmas gift guide, The World Between the Rain is a new children's book by debut author Susan Cahill. A story that plays out themes of grief and resilience within a swirling, watery adventure set in another world, it has at its centre a quiet girl called Marina who can't shake the feeling that there is magic in the air around her. Susan herself couldn't quite shake this story that rattled around in her head as she became more and more successful in the world of academia, ultimately reaching a tenured position as Associate Professor of Irish Studies in Concordia University, Montreal. In the episode, she talks about leaving this permanent position behind in order to pursue writing full-time, the long process of writing the book and her own podcast, Storyshaped, which focuses on the stories that shape the people we become.

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny chats to Dr Renée Hulan, a Professor of English Language and Literature at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. She was the Craig Dobbin Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies at University College Dublin in 2020-2021 and has written several books that bring together her interests in climate fiction, Canadian heritage and indigenous communities. She has also edited collections on these themes and recently gave a fascinating online lecture at South East Technological University, entitled “To bring the breathing world close: Reading Cli-Fi from Canada” which was run in conjunction with the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies at SETU.

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny speaks to Jim Nolan and Michael Power who have just finished their sold-out run of Jim's new play Castel Gandolfo at Garter Lane Arts Centre in Waterford. The play revolves around a family whose long-buried secret threatens to unsettle the delicate balance they have established. The production also featured IFTA-nominated Carrie Crowley in the role of the returning mother-figure, Dolly, and a cast from the Four Rivers company which aims to bring new and classic plays to audiences in the south east. In the podcast, Jim discusses the play and his life as a playwright and director from the 1970s to the present, and Michael reflects on his development as an actor as he has moved from variety shows and musicals to parts in Normal People, Vikings, and a variety of roles in local and national theatre productions.

This episode of the podcast is dedicated to first year students and how they can get the most out of this next chapter of their lives. For most, it is both an exciting and overwhelming time when students must learn how to navigate a new level of independence and cope with new academic, financial and social responsibilities. In studio are Conor Phelan, of SETU's Student Life and Learning Office, Erin McNamara-Cullen, the course leader for the BA Arts programme at SETU and Corey Shanahan, the new Education Officer for the Students' Union at SETU Waterford. Each of them discuss the challenges and opportunities of university life and offer advice about how to get the best out of the college experience.

This episode of the podcast features the collaborative team of lecturers and students who are working on the project “Diversifying the Curriculum”. The project is funded by N-TUTORR, and aims to decolonise and diversify the third-year English module, The Literature of Family. The team presented at the recent national N-TUTORR showcase in Dublin and aims to change the teaching, learning and assessment focus of the module. Also in studio is the SETU N-TUTORR co-ordinator for Student Empowerment, Catriona McGrattan and Student Champion Sarah Daly, both of whom discuss the ways in which students can earn digital badges and what it means for students and educators to come together and work in partnership. Members of the Diversifying the Curriculum team in studio were Dr Jenny O'Connor, Dr Christa de Brún, Chika Dike and Graeme Murphy. Also working on the project are students Emily Fleming and Mariya Lyash.

This is a very important and special episode of the podcast, in which Fadi Zmorrod, the recipient of the SEVN (South East Venue Network) bursary joins Jenny in studio to talk about his work with Doulab Circus and Dance. When Fadi was younger, he left the oppressive environment of occupied Palestine and went to study computing in the United States. Yet his heart was simply not in it: he was drawn back to the arts and to his home, where he met his Irish wife, Juliet, and where Doulab Circus and Dance was born. Across Palestine, Fadi and Juliet used dance and circus movement to offer children a space in which movement and intellectual curiosity could come together, and where trust and confidence could be built. The decision to leave Palestine was extremely difficult; Fadi speaks of what it was like to leave those children behind and what it is to cope with the conflicting emotions of relief and guilt that a new life of safety presents. Doulab Circus and Dance currently works with the residents of Direct Provision centres, members of the Travelling community and children with diverse and special needs. Also in studio are Dr Kate McCarthy, who has galvanised SETU staff as part of a solidarity initiative called Gather for Palestine, and Sinead Bolger, an arts and migration facilitator who talks about meeting Fadi for the first time and offers some suggestions on readings by Palestinian authors that you can find below. Book Recommendation List: I saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti – non-fiction Award-winning account of the human aspects of the Palestinian struggle. Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco - Graphic Novel Joe Sacco's visual journalism about the massacre of 111 Palestinian refugees by Israeli soldiers in 1956. The hundred years' war on Palestine : a history of settler colonial conquest and resistance by Rashid Khalidi– Non-fiction A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the Middle East, told through pivotal events and family history. Palestine +100 : stories from a century after the Nakba, edited by Basma Ghalayini. – short stories What might your home city look like in the year 2048 - exactly 100 years after Nakba, the displacement of more than 700,000 people after the Israeli War of Independence? Enter ghost by Isabella Hammad - fiction An actress returns to her home city of Haifa after many years in London and finds herself roped into a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. Against the loveless world by Susan Abulhawa - fiction Nahr, a resilient but exhausted woman, tells the story of her life from an Israeli solitary confinement cell. Mornings in Jenin / Susan Abulhawa – fiction A multi-generational story about a Palestinian family as they live through half a century of violent history. Qissat : short stories by Palestinian women, edited by Jo Glanville - fiction In a cross-generational compilation, editor Jo Glanville chronicles the varied lived experiences of Palestinian women, from domestic to diaspora. A woman is no man by Etaf Rum The debut novel by Palestinian-American Etaf Rum takes us inside the lives of a conservative Arab family living in America. Salt houses / Hala Alyan Salma is forced to leave Palestine and move to Kuwait City, but when Saddam Hussein invades, she must leave again. They called me a lioness: a Palestinian girl's fight for freedom by Ahed Tamimi – non-fiction A Palestinian activist jailed at sixteen after a confrontation with Israeli soldiers illuminates the daily struggles of life under occupation in this moving, deeply personal memoir. Out of place : a memoir / Edward Said. An extraordinary story of exile and a celebration of an irrecoverable past. The Secret Life of Saeed: The Pessoptimist by Emile Habibi. This award-winning novel-in-translation is clever tragicomedy that demonstrates the complex life of a Palestinian living in Israel.

As policies on EDI are rolled out in higher education institutes, increased efforts are being made to diversify and decolonise a wide range of curricula across the sector. With thanks to SATLE funding (Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement) from the National Forum, Dr Ebun Joseph joined us at SETU for two seminars (one with students and another with staff) on understanding racial diversity and talking about race in the classroom. In this episode of the podcast, Jenny chatted to Ebun about her educational journey, setting up the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies, and how Irish universities can improve their efforts at inclusion. Also in studio was the organiser of the event, Dr Christa de Brún, who discussed the importance of Ebun's visit, and second year student, Chika Dike, who spoke about what she learned from attending the event.

This episode sees us welcome our very first spoken word poet to the podcast! Caoimhe Weakliam joined us to chat about the power of spoken word poetry after a talk with English students that was funded by the Strategic Alignment for Teaching and Learning Enhancement initiative from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. In the past year, Caoimhe has performed as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival and Culture Night and has delivered two sets at Electric Picnic. She has also worked as a youth worker and creative practitioner, and her main aim is to create positive change in the world and to empower young people through spoken word methodologies. Also in studio is English lecturer and poet Dr Christa de Brún, and Sasha Terfous, a first year student (and herself a spoken word poet) who attended the event. You can follow Caoimhe on Instagram @caoimheweakliam

This first episode of 2024 for The Nerve features Daniel Mulhall, former Irish ambassador to the United Kingdom and the United States, who recently received an honorary doctorate from SETU. Born and raised in Waterford, Daniel's diplomacy work has taken him all over the world, and in the podcast, he highlights how literature has played an important role in his job. He also discusses the process of writing a book on Ulysses during the pandemic, his various academic roles at NYU, Cambridge and Harvard, and his latest book Pilgrim Soul: WB Yeats and the Ireland of his time.

Ho, ho, ho, and happy Christmas! In this festive episode of the podcast, Jenny is joined by Aoife Hearne, dietician and lecturer in the Department of Health Sciences (and previous contributor to TV's Operation Transformation), Dr John McNamara who lectures in Social Care, Social Science, and Sociology in the Departments of Social Care and Early Childhood, and the Department of Arts, and Dr David Scanlon, lecturer in Biology & Biopharmaceutical Science. Their Christmas recommendations range from books about the social change instigated by the printing press, the science behind disease and addictive behaviour, and novels about love and loss. They also discuss the events that signify Christmas to them and there's a January recommendation to help get over the Christmas blues.

Joining Dr Jenny O'Connor in studio for this episode is the award-winning Canadian author Alexander MacLeod. A Professor of Creative Writing at St Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Alexander has been published in the prestigious New Yorker and Granta magazines and has won the Atlantic Book Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and the O.Henry Award. His first collection Light Lifting was published in 2010 and his latest, Animal Person, was released in 2022. Both collections explore the fragile connections that define us, the collision of the mundane and the extraordinary and the invisible forces that drive people to behave in unexpected ways. Alexander also facilitated a creative writing masterclass at SETU thanks to support from the Canadian Embassy, the Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies at SETU, and the Department of Arts at SETU, Waterford.

This episode of the podcast features a discussion with the facilitator of this semester's English and Theatre Studies Day, Martin Tyrrell. Martin is the author of the forthcoming George Orwell: from Class War to Cold War and a contributing editor for the academic journal George Orwell Studies. His highly entertaining lecture on Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Orwell's essays offered context and commentary on the social, political and personal influences in George Orwell's work. After the lecture, Martin also ran a workshop in which he discussed approaches to creative writing. The podcast also features Dr Christa de Brún, who teaches Nineteen Eighty-Four to second year students on the Literature and Society module. Both contributors discuss the importance of Orwell's work alongside the paradox of his own intolerance, the prevailing relevance of his ideas and his often-overlooked wife Eileen who is a fascinating figure in her own right.

In this episode, members of Waterford's newest theatrical company, Shakespeare Squared, join Jenny in the studio to talk about the genesis of the organisation and their recent production of Twelfth Night, an open air promenade piece that used the backdrop of Waterford's Viking Triangle to bring their interpretation to life. Along with theatre professional Eimear Cheasty, co-directors Joe Meagher and Deirdre Dwyer won the maximum available funding from the Arts Council's Theatre Project Awards 2023 to stage the production and here, they discuss their creative approach to getting the project off the ground. Performer (and former graduate of English and Theatre Studies) Natasha Everitt tells us what it's like to inhabit one of Shakespeare's most mischievous Fools and English and Theatre Studies lecturer Dr Helena Walsh-Kiely joins us to give her thoughts on the show. 

In this first episode of a new season of the podcast, Dr Jenny O'Connor is joined by Pete Windle, the Head of the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning at SETU, and Dr Kate McCarthy, researcher and lecturer in Theatre Studies to discuss the way generative artificial intelligence (GenAI, e.g. Chat GPT) has affected the teaching of subjects that traditionally relied on the essay (or other text-based methods) for assessing students. The discussion includes philosophical questions about teaching and learning but also the challenge posed by large student groups and how AI can teach us how to think more critically about the information we consume.

Andy Kelly is a nationally recognised archivist and collector of photography and film in Waterford and in this episode, he discusses the collection he has amassed, his time as a projectionist and filmmaker, and the innovative methods he employed when faced with technical challenges over the years (like building cranes and setting fire to a specially built thatched cottage for a movie set piece!). Frank Ryan is a long-time member of Waterford Film For All and recalls the venues, films and audiences that have sustained the film society over the years. The conversation leads to memories of Waterford from another time, and the many people who have helped to document the life of the region.   To find out more about Andy, you can watch a documentary about him on TG4 entitled “Scannáin Bhaile Andy” which includes clips of his films and some of the photographs he has preserved. It is available on the TG4 website at this link: bit.ly/3LChf8J   To find out more about Waterford Film For All, find them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and learn more about their current season by visiting the Garter Lane Arts Centre website: https://garterlane.ie

Molly Twomey grew up in Lismore, County Waterford, and graduated in 2019 with an MA in Creative Writing from UCC. She has been published in The Irish Times, Banshee, The Stinging Fly and Poetry Ireland Review and her first poetry collection, Raised among vultures, is now available from The Gallery Press. The collection's unflinching style deals with the complexities of modern living, the realities of dealing with an eating disorder and the intricacies of family dynamics. During the podcast, she reads from the collection and discusses the relationship between her anorexia and her writing, and the forms and shapes her poetry has taken.

Frank Bosman of the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology in The Netherlands visited SETU in March 2023 to deliver a lecture as part of the Theology in the Public Square series on the connection between culture, theology and religion in three recent TV series. Each of the shows (Squid Game, Jaguar and The Good Place) explores theological themes such as morality, theodicy, truth and hope, and in this episode, he discusses the importance of popular culture in considering such issues in the contemporary moment. Frank has also written extensively on religious themes in video games. Also in studio is SETU's Dr Paul Clogher, whose own work on theology, film and culture brought him into contact with Frank, and has resulted in a lasting friendship between the two academics and a connection between the two institutions.

StoryCenter has worked with nearly a thousand organisations around the world and trained more than fifteen thousand people in hundreds of workshops to share stories from their lives. Through its wide-ranging work, it has transformed the way that community activists, educators, health and human services agencies, business professionals, and artists think about the power of the personal voice in creating change. The co-founder of the organisation, Joe Lambert, started out with a degree in Theatre and Political Science at UC Berkeley and a passion for activism, and moved from theatre work to digital storytelling as a way of furthering his principles of social justice and equity. In this episode of the podcast, he discusses the path that led him here, and the potential of digital storytelling to cross disciplines and break barriers. Discover more about StoryCentre at storycenter.org

In this first episode of the new semester, Jenny welcomes Deirdre Grant, a dance practitioner and choreographer who also works as a lecturer at SETU Waterford, teaching on courses as diverse as Theatre Studies, Early Childhood Studies, and Social Care. She is also the current Dance Artist in Residence at Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford. During Covid, when her work with community groups and regional artists could no longer take place, the idea for a book about how to reconnect with the body post-pandemic started to grow. The resulting publication, Prompts for the Mover, was developed in conjunction with her brother, a fine art photographer, and is due to be launched in March. Dee talks about how she ended up following her passion, the benefits of dance for people with a variety of abilities and needs, and her hopes for her new publication. Dee writes a blog which can be found at promptsforthemover.com/blog

This episode of the podcast features award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster Aingeala Flannery, whose debut novel The Amusements has won high praise from the national press, and from authors such as Anne Enright, Donal Ryan and Marian Keyes. Set in Tramore, Co. Waterford, the story revolves around Helen Grant, who dreams of escaping the seaside town and running away to art college, and follows her family and neighbours over three decades. During the course of the conversation, Aingeala discusses giving up a stable job in national media to pen her debut, her connection to Tramore and her fondness for the characters in her books.

On Tuesday 25thOctober, poet and essayist William Keohane visited SETU to perform ‘Boxing Day,' a 52-poem sequence that offers one poem for each week of the year. Each one offers a fragmentary glimpse into the experience of gender transition and taken together, the 52 poems present a narrative account of a year of change, apprehension, and grief. The event was organised by English lecturer Dr Christa de Brún and funded by the EDI office at SETU Waterford. In this episode of the podcast, William and Christa join Jenny in studio to talk about the importance of this type of poetry work and how literature can challenge stereotypes and provide representation for marginalised groups. William also discusses his role in setting up the Trans Limerick Community (TLC) to support trans people in Limerick city and county.

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny talks to the facilitators of this semester's English and Theatre Studies Day, Dalal Sayed and Lani O'Hanlon, as well as Sinead O'Higgins of Waterford Libraries. Dalal's recent memoir Escape from War to Live in Peace tells of her family's experience of fleeing from Syria and settling in Cappoquin, Waterford and Lani has recently won the Trócaire Ireland Poetry Competition with her poem, “When I visit Dalal” about their relationship. Sinead was instrumental in securing funding to get the book published and has been involved in organising launch and publicity events that centre Dalal's story. The three of them discuss the way the book came about, its importance, and how writing and sharing one's story can become a way of healing. English and Theatre Studies Day was supported by the Department of Arts, Waterford Libaries and Creative Ireland.

In this episode of the podcast, we check in with third year English and Theatre Studies students Dawn Murray and Naja Klemme, who discuss what they have gained from taking part in extra-curricular activities at SETU. They discuss how they got to know one another via online bingo sessions organised by the Students' Union during Covid, how important it is to connect with lecturers and guest speakers at organised events, and what it's like to work with performance artists and theatre practitioners as part of the Imagine Arts Festival in Waterford.

In this special, fifth anniversary episode of The Nerve, author Aislinn O'Loughlin discusses writing in the Young Adult genre in advance of the release of her new book, Big Bad Me. The novel tells the story of Evie and her sister Kate, who encounter a litany of suspicious murders in the wake of Evie's revelation that she is a werewolf. A novel about identity, difference, family and love, it relies on vibrant and sparky characters along with witty dialogue to engage its readers. Aislinn talks about writing books in her teens, how to appreciate rejection letters from publishers and what it's like to dream a werewolf into existence.

In this final episode of the podcast for this academic year, Jenny is joined by poet, scholar, harper and Arts curator, Emily Cullen. Emily is currently the Poet in Residence in the University of Limerick and combines that role with poetry writing as well as curating literature and poetry events. On foot of Poetry Day Ireland, Emily talks about the importance of poetry in Irish life, her “scenic” route to where she is now, and teaching as a mutually enriching experience for students and teachers alike. She also reads and discusses a poem from her collection, Conditional Perfect (2019). Show notes: Below is the list of texts referred to during the podcast. No vague utopia by Emily Cullen In between angels and animals by Emily Cullen Conditional Perfect by Emily Cullen Letters to a young poet by Rainier Maria Rilke Poetry Writing: An Expert Guide by Fiona Sampson Writing down the bones by Natalie Goldberg Straw for the Fire by Theodore Roethke Various texts by Annie Finch

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny is joined by the artist Vincent Devine, who recently travelled the country with his painting ‘The Vicky Phelan Triptych,' and its owner, David Brennan. Vincent attended WIT's International Women's Day celebrations, where he talked the audience through the symbolism of each section of the painting, and the collaborative process that he and Vicky went through during its planning and development. He discusses the importance of the painting in generating conversations around women's health, trauma and resilience, and how it has impacted his own life and work. During the episode, Jenny and Vincent also discuss Dr Christa de Brún's poem, “Triptych in Blue” written about the artwork.

On Wednesday 9th March, students of English and Theatre Studies at WIT attended a workshop on Shakespeare facilitated by actor Jamie Beamish in the wonderful environs of Waterford's Theatre Royal. Jamie is the current Theatre Artist in Residence in the Theatre Royal and in this episode, he joins Jenny in studio alongside the manager of the theatre, Mary Boland, who has an ambitious new vision for how the venue might open itself up to the people of the south east. They discuss the impact of the English and Theatre Studies Day, the changing role of theatre in our society, and how important it is to embrace Shakespeare! Jamie Beamish has appeared in Bridgerton and Derry Girls and has recently wrapped on the new series Billy the Kid and Halo (based on the video game). He has also recently performed in the Abbey production of Marina Carr's Portia Coughlan, has acted on the stage of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and has played a wide range of Shakespearean roles over the course of his career.

In this episode of The Nerve, we are guided by our third-year students, who have lots of questions about how to find the right postgraduate course, and how to navigate the PAC and UCAS systems. In studio with Jenny are Angela Collins, Head of Careers and Careers Advisor at WIT, and final year English students Katie Chance and Ben Harper. If you're still not sure what you want to do, how do you go about narrowing your selection? What kinds of documentation do colleges look for upon application? How do you write a personal statement? How early should you start to think about postgrad courses? These are some of the questions that Angela provides answers to in the episode, as well as offering sound and practical advice for all students thinking about postgraduate study.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr Jenny O'Connor chats to WIT's own Edward Hayden in his capacity as editor of the Drama League of Ireland magazine. Edward is the course leader for the Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts and is well known to viewers of Virgin Media's Ireland AM where he occupies a guest chef slot. In his spare time, Edward is a very active member of the award-winning New Ross Drama Workshop, and in his role as editor of the DLI magazine, has interviewed and curated content for the first issue of 2022. He speaks about the challenges facing drama societies around the country during the pandemic and the many exciting opportunities that now present themselves as the country opens up once more.

In this episode, Dr. Jenny O'Connor talks to the award-winning poet Annemarie Ni Churreáin, who gave an online seminar this semester at WIT on the way in which literature can develop a critical consciousness in students. This event was organised by English lecturer Dr Christa de Brún, who joins Jenny to chat about using one of Annemarie's poems to challenge and stimulate students' thinking. Annemarie has had her poetry published in the Poetry Ireland Review, The Stinging Fly and her first collection, Bloodroot, was shortlisted for highly prestigious awards in Ireland and the U.S. She is a member of the Writers in Prisons Panel co-funded by the Arts Council and the Department of Justice and was also the artist in residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris. Her new collection, The Poison Glen, is out now. Note: The Critical Thinking through Literature event, featuring Annemarie Ni Churreáin, was funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

In this episode, Jenny is joined by Luke Cassidy, the author of the novel Iron Annie, and writer of the stage show adaptation of the text, the Iron Annie Cabaret. Luke talks about setting his debut novel in his home town of Dundalk, writing two female lead characters, and what is involved in getting a stage show off the ground in Covid times.

In this episode of The Nerve, Jenny talks to theatre makers Deirdre Dwyer and Nicholas Kavanagh, who facilitated this semester's English and Theatre Studies Day at WIT. Deirdre's new work is the audio drama The Little Robber Girl, which, along with the accompanying postal pack, brings to life the story of tearaway Mattie and her dog, Arthur. This work was written by Deirdre in her role as Theatre Artist in Residence at Garter Lane Arts Centre, and employs the voice talents of several local actors, one of whom is the mercurial Nicholas Kavanagh. They discuss the process of bringing this unusual project to life, the importance of deadlines and the experience of recording your voice in the hot press.

In this (celebratory!) episode of The Nerve, Dr Jenny O'Connor is joined in studio by second year student Anthony Finn and third year students Aoife Manville and Katie Chance, who have returned to the WIT campus after 18 months. They discuss the remote online learning experience, making friends with people who used to be virtual classmates on Zoom and what it's like preparing for your first ever college exam in your final year of college.

Welcome back to the first episode of The Nerve for the new semester. In this episode, Dr Jenny O'Connor speaks to Lucy Moore of the Write by the Sea Festival which normally takes place in Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford. This year, the festival remains online and will host the likes of Douglas Kennedy, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Colm Tóibín, Melatu Uche Okorie, Billy O'Callaghan and WIT's very own Dr. Fiona Ennis. Lucy discusses community support for the festival, the high quality of entries for the writing competition and storytelling in sitting rooms. Tickets can be bought from www.writebythesea.ie

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny speaks to Tomm Moore of Kilkenny-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon. Its most recent film, Wolfwalkers, is currently nominated for the 2021 Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. Prior to this, The Breadwinner, Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells and the short film Late Afternoon were also nominated for Oscars and other prestigious awards. The studio produces content for television and streaming services too, and has thrived during the pandemic creating an impressive slate of new productions that will come to fruition over the next five years. During the podcast, Tomm chats about setting up the studio, writing stories collaboratively, the importance of multitasking and what it's like to go to the Oscars.

In this episode, Jenny is joined by Joanne McCarthy, one of the co-founders of literary magazine, The Waxed Lemon. Joanne discusses the responses to the latest edition's call for submission, offers advice for budding contributors and reads from her own poetry which has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Honest Ulsterman, and The Bangor Literary Review.

In this episode of the podcast, Jenny chats to writer John Patrick McHugh, whose recent collection of short stories, Pure Gold, has received rave reviews from The Irish Times and Vanity Fair. Prior to the publication of the collection, JP's stories were published in literary journals like Granta, Winter Papers and The Stinging Fly. The conversation veers from how long it takes to produce two good sentences to working in a supportive writing bubble with Nicole Flattery and Sally Rooney, and how it feels to find out you've been published. JP also reads from a couple of stories in the collection.

Bernie McGill's novel The Watch House was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Prize for Literature and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes nominated The Butterfly Cabinet as his novel of the year in 2012. Her short fiction has been nominated for several awards and in 2008, she won the Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Award in the United States. Bernie is a former Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund at the Seamus Heaney Centre in Queen's University, Belfast and she teaches and facilitates workshops with the Irish Writers' Centre (one of which is coming up in April of 2021). In this episode, Jenny talks to Bernie about what a typical day in her life is like, what it has meant to her to contribute to anthologies that highlight the work of women writers and how teaching keeps her awake at night!

In this season of episodes, Jenny conducts one-to-one interviews with people who are important to the Arts in Ireland in one way or another. This first episode features Barbara McCormack, the Academy Librarian with the Royal Irish Academy. The discussion focuses on what it means to be in this type of role and how the pandemic has affected the work that can be done. There is also some valuable advice for students looking to follow this career path.

Ho ho ho! Five of the regular podcast hosts from WIT got together to record a joint episode recommending some books, TV programmes, films, podcasts and tech that you (or a loved one) might enjoy over the Christmas period. Features Jenny O'Connor from The Nerve, Bruce Wardrop from Win Win, Niamh Maguire from Engendering Change, Tom Grinsell from WIT Talks Student Life and Rob O'Connor of The Machine. A very Happy Christmas to all our listeners. Recommendation Notes: Bruce Wardrop (Book) Atomic Habits – James Clear https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits (Podcast) Real Science of Sport https://twitter.com/sportsscipod (Podcast) Where Is George Gibney? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p08njhrm Niamh Maguire (Book) Girl Woman Other – Bernadine Evaristo https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41081373-girl-woman-other (TV Show) - Rita https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/70285368 Tom Grinsell (Documentary) The Wolfpack Insider [Tour de France 2020] https://youtu.be/NOEoqwi9Mls (TV Show) Queen's Gambit https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80234304 Jenny O'Connor (Book) Actress – Anne Enright https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45993330-actress (Film) God's Own Country https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5635086/ (Film) Only You https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/81111212 Rob O'Connor (Film) The Midnight Sky https://www.netflix.com/ie/title/80244645 (Tech) Nintendo Switch https://www.nintendo.com/switch/ Extra Notes: Desert Island Discs, Bernadine Evaristo https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000mrb1 Desert Island Discs, Anne Enright https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000dpn1

In this episode of The Nerve, Dr. Jenny O'Connor is joined by three English graduates who are currently engaged in postgraduate study. Lauren Browne, Michael Power and Dylan Phelan reflect on what they might tell their first year selves about opening themselves up to new experiences, taking feedback on board and fostering self-belief, and they discuss how the BA Arts programme has prepared them for the current challenges of their postgraduate work.

In this episode of The Nerve, Dr. Jenny O'Connor is joined by Billy O'Callaghan, our special guest for this semester's English and Theatre Studies Day. Billy is the winner of a Bord Gais Energy Book Award and has been nominated for a raft of other awards for his writing. He has had over a hundred short stories published in literary journals around the world and has had his work translated into eleven languages. Billy ran two sessions with our students: one on the art and craft of the short story, and another on the how to get published. Dr Fiona Ennis is also a guest on this episode of the podcast. Winner of the Molly Keane Creative Writing Award for her short story “Debt”, Fiona was also nominated for the Bristol Short Story Award this year for her story “Host” .

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Jenny O'Connor talks to Dr. Christa de Brun about being on the judging panel for the Global Undergraduate Awards, which receives approximately 4,000 entries each year from across the world. She is also joined by two former English, Aaron Kent and Alessia Zuccarelli, who discuss being highly commended in the Awards and how their time at WIT led to their current postgraduate opportunities. Aaron has recently won an Irish Research Council scholarship and has taken up a PhD position at WIT, working alongside Dr. Una Kealy and Dr. Kate McCarthy on the underrepresentation of Irish women playwrights following the War of Independence. Alessia is currently undertaking an MA in Creative Writing at Queen's University, Belfast.

In this episode of the podcast, Dr. Jenny O'Connor speaks to Dr. Áine Furlong, Dr. Úna Kealy and English and Theatre Studies student Jack Reid about the process of moving from face-to-face to emergency online teaching and learning. They discuss the things that scared them the most, the opportunities they see in the digital space, and top tips for maximising time and energy online.

We continue our Books on the Nightstand tradition in the final episode of The Nerve for this semester. However, while we normally invite staff from other departments to give their recommendations, we had to improvise a little in these abnormal times. Instead, this episode comes to you from the sitting room of Dr. Jenny O'Connor, who is joined by her husband Rob O'Connor from the Department of Computing and Mathematics, and their four daughters Sophie, Elise, Wendy and Stella. From science fiction to modernist literature, adventure stories to rhyming books about naughty musical notes, there is something here for everyone. Books discussed Dune by Frank Herbert Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf A Slanting of the Sun by Donal Ryan Ratburger by David Walliams The Famous Five by Enid Blyton Harry Potter by JK Rowling The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer The Diddle that Dummed by Kes Gray and Fred Blunt