Our Author Advocates

Novelist and founder of the Kit De Waal Fellowship

Kit de Waal

Kit de Waal, is a British/Irish writer. De Waal used some of her advance from her debut novel, My Name is Leon, to set up the Kit de Waal Creative Writing Fellowship to help improve working-class representation in the arts. She's won many awards for her novels and short stories and is editor of 'Common People' an Anthology of working class writers. Kit says: 'We all need the support of our friends, writers perhaps more so. Delighted to be part of this important group of writers, helping one another along the journey.'

Novelist and Lecturer in Creative Writing at UL

Donal Ryan

Donal is the award winning author of five novels. He's won many awards and twice been long-listed for the booker prize. He teaches creative writing at the University of Limerick. Donal says: 'It’s lovely to be part of this wonderful group of passionate and talented writers. The world can be a cold, harsh place, and we writers need the comfort of our mutual support and our friendships.'

Frank McCourt Chair of Creative Writing, UL

Joseph O'Connor

Joseph is the author of nine novels including Star of the Sea, Ghost Light (Dublin One City One Book novel 2011) and Shadowplay (June 2019). Among his awards are the Prix Zepter for European Novel of the Year, France's Prix Millepages, Italy's Premio Acerbi, an American Library Association Award and the Irish Pen Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature. His work has been translated into forty languages. In 2014 he was appointed Frank McCourt Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. Twice-Booker Prize-winner Peter Carey has written, ‘There are few living writers who can take us back in time so assuredly, through such gorgeous sentences. Joseph O'Connor is a wonder, and Shadowplay is a triumph.’ Joseph says “Writepace is supporting writers in so many invaluable ways, offering community and commitment, a sense of building and belonging, the wisdom and insight of writerly experience meeting the energy and power of new storytellers.”