Meet the Speakers: Brian Leyden

One of the speakers at the launch of a creative momentum project taking place on 29 October at The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon is Brian Leyden. Brian is an Irish novelist, short story writer, memoirist, playwright, screenwriter, librettist, and editor. His books include the bestselling memoir, The Home Place (New Island, 2002), the novel, Death and Plenty (Brandon Books, 1996), and the short story collection, Departures (Brandon Books, 1992).

He is also co-writer of the feature film, Black Ice, which premiered at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013 and received an IFTA Best Actress nomination.

Brian will talk about the importance of the sense of place in  his work. He will address how centring one’s creative endeavours within the local is at the heart of  the greatest works produced by such cultural icons as John McGahern and W.B.Yeats, and playwright Brian Friel, who demonstrate the value of such intangibles as memory, imagination and the sense of place in maintaining exemplary and lifelong creative careers.