Seán Mackel

Originally from Belfast, Seán has lived in Donegal, in the north west of Ireland for 25years. His creative work has involved graphic design, fine art and creative writing. His poetry has appeared in Cuirt Journal, Cyphers, fourW, HU, Poetry Ireland Review, Waterford Review and as a chapbook, Strangled Laughter, Lapwing Publications. He holds an MA in Creative Writing from the Seamus Heaney Centre, QUB. Since completing his MA he has concentrated on fiction. His short story collection The River, Guildhall Press, was longlisted for the Frank O’Connor Short Story Prize. He has twice been shortlisted for the RTÉ Short Story Prize. A finalist in the Irish Writers Centre, (IWC) Novel Fair in 2013 and 2017, he has received Literature Bursaries and Awards from the Irish Arts Council, Donegal County Council and Offaly County Council. He has received a number of residencies including a fellowship with Varuna/IWC International Lamplight Residency in 2024. Currently working on a novel set in 1850s Melbourne, Seán was a former Senior Lecturer in Design at CSU Wagga and UU Derry. A member of the Society of Authors, London, and the Irish Writers Centre, Dublin, Seán lives with a disability and identifies as an
underrepresented writer.
Online stories:
‘Everything will be recorded’, shortlisted for RTE Short Story Prize 2020
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio...
‘Iceland’, shortlisted for RTE Short Story Prize 2016
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio...
Links:
www.seanmackel.com
www.instagram.com/sean.g.macke...

Susanne Stich
Originally from Nürnberg, Germany, Susanne has lived in Donegal, Ireland for many years. Her creative work has involved writing, film-making and photography, but in recent years she has concentrated solely on writing. Her work has appeared in The Stinging Fly, Winter Papers, Banshee, The Pig’s Back, New Irish Writing, Ambit and other places. She was shortlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize, the RTÉ Short Story Prize and a finalist in the Irish Novel Fair. She has received Bursary Awards from the Irish Arts Council, Donegal County Council and the John Hewitt Society.
She holds an MA in Literature and Film Studies from Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen, a PhD with creative practice from Ulster University, Belfast and has worked in the arts and educational sector as a lecturer, curator and facilitator.
Stories that can be read in full online:
‘Chaconne’, published by Banshee, 2024: https://bansheepress.org/read/... and Hopper’, shortlisted for the 2024 RTÉ Short Story Prize:
https://www.rte.ie/culture/2024/1116/1479168-rte-short-story-competition-dessie-
and-hopper-by-susanne-stich/
‘Aubergine’, published by TSS Publishing, 2018: https://theshortstory.co.uk/sh... links:
www.susannestich.com
https://www.instagram.com/lily...