9 June 2017
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
One City, One Book 2017 project will be launched in Cork City Library tomorrow, 10th June, 2017 at 3 p.m.
The One City, One Book project will attempt to get book loving Corkonians to read and discuss ‘The Things we lose the things we leave behind’ by Cork author Billy O’Callaghan. Published by New Island Books in 2013, and forthcoming in a Chinese translation from CITIC Press in July 2017, the title story was honoured with a Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Award.
The One City One Book programme takes the idea of a localised book discussion club and expands it to cover the whole city. Lord Mayor Des Cahill will officially launch the initiative on Saturday June 10 at 3pm. Billy will be in conversation with Emilio Bonome, a Spanish MA student who completed his Masters thesis on Billy’s stories. A limited number of free copies of the book will be available to the public at the event. Fringe events for One City One Book will include summer creative writing workshops with Billy, the launch of the Chinese translation of the book, a public discussion of the book, Culture Night and more.
The project is part of the Creative Ireland culture-based programme designed to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. Individuals, groups, book clubs, workplaces and organisations are encouraged to attend the launch and to take part in building a sense of community throughout the city, promoting literacy and encouraging everyone to engage in reading the short story, a genre which is at the heart of Cork city’s literary heritage.
