Dublin is a city in flux. Writers Estelle Birdy, Kevin Curran, Stephen James Smith and Réré Ukponu will be in conversation with fellow writer Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan about how their writing reflects and explores our changing city. Touching on issues from homelessness, mental health, class and racism to family and the power of community, their writing vividly and authentically captures Dublin today. With a performance by Stephen James Smith of his powerful poem Dublin You Are, part ode to the city, part wake-up call.
Estelle Birdy’s debut novel Ravelling, set chiefly in and around The Liberties, focuses on five teenagers in their Leaving Cert year, their families, community and their city – Dublin. Ravelling was part of the Arts Council’s Read Mór promotion for Culture Night 2024. Estelle is an Arts Council Peer Panellist and is a member of the Irish Book Awards Academy.
Kevin Curran’s third novel, Youth, was published to critical acclaim by The Lilliput Press in 2023. It was an Irish Times, Sunday Independent & RTE Culture Best Book of 2023. It was also a Colm Toibin’s Laureate for Fiction’s Book Club choice for 2024. The paperback edition was published February 2025. He has published two other novels, Beatsploitation (2013) and Citizens (2016).
Stephen James Smith, born in Dublin, is an Irish poet, writer, performer, playwright, and educator. His short poetry films have captivated millions, earning them the opportunity to perform alongside notable names like Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam), Patti Smith, Shane MacGowan, Bono (U2), Imelda May, and Glen Hansard.
Réré Ukponu is a 25-year-old Irish/Nigerian writer from Dublin. She has been published in the Irish Times, Metro Eireann, The Stinging Fly, Internazionale Magazine and shortlisted for the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Competition. She is currently studying Medicine at University College Cork.
Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan is an Indian-Irish writer, performer, and cultural consultant from India. Her work has been published by Dedalus Press, Stinging Fly, Poetry Ireland, and others. She was a Science Gallery Dublin Rapid Residency artist in 2021, was the Writer in Residence for the Institute of Physics in 2023, and was a 2024 Goethe-Institut Studio Quantum Artist in Residence.
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