International Literature Festival Dublin & Dublin Literary Award to host podcast with shortlisted writers

Leading up to the Dublin Literary Award, The International Literary Festival and the Dublin Literary Award will release  will a weekly, limited edition podcast to celebrate the shortlist of nominees. Sponsored by Dublin City Council, the Literary Award has a prize worth €100,000.

The award was established in 1994 with the intention to promote excellence in literature and this year, the event will be available for all to watch online on May 20th as a part of the opening day of International Literature Festival Dublin.

Hosted by Maeve Higgins and Jessica Traynor, every podcast episode will feature a different book shortlisted for the award and will share an interview with the author or a commentator about the work of fiction. Both Higgins and Traynor have a passion for literature and writing. Higgins is a comedian and contributing writer for The New York Times, and Traynor's debut Liffey Swim was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award.

The first episode will be released on April 15, and is available to listen on ilfdublin.com. Check out the full schedule for the podcast series and its guests below.

Colum McCann in conversation with Maeve Higgins – available April 15:

Maeve and Jessica’s conversation about Apeirogon is followed by Maeve’s interview with Colum McCann. Described by Elizabeth Strout as a “wondrous book … it will bring you to your knees”, Apeirogon mixes fact with fiction about the Israel‑Palestine conflict, creating an insightful and moving depiction of grief and healing.

Ocean Vuong in conversation with Jessica Traynor – available April 20:

After Jessica and Maeve discuss On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, listen in to Jessica’s interview with Ocean Vuong. A Vietnamese-American poet, Vuong draws on his own family background in this beautiful coming-of-age story of the son of Vietnamese parents in the US.

Valeria Luiselli in conversation with Maeve Higgins – available April 27:  

A fiercely imaginative epic road trip Lost Children Archive was described by The Washington Post as “a novel that daylights our common humanity, and challenges us to reconcile our differences.”

The Nickel Boys – available May 4:

Jessica leads a wider conversation about The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead. Based on a real story, The Nickel Boys is a powerful novel that evokes the grim realities of a Florida reform school with care and compassion.

Fernanda Melchor and translator Sophie Hughes in conversation with Maeve Higgins – available May 11: 

Maeve interviews Fernanda Melchor and translator Sophie Hughes. An acclaimed and inventive murder mystery set in horror and squalor, Hurricane Season was described by the Guardian as “fiction with the brakes off.”

 Bernardine Evaristo in conversation with Jessica Traynor – available May 18: 

Wrapping up the podcast, Jessica and Maeve swap thoughts on the 6th title on the shortlist, Girl, Woman, Other, followed by Jessica’s interview with Bernardine Evaristo. Evaristo’s remarkable eighth novel follows 12 characters, most of them black British women, raising crucial questions about feminism and race.