A string of fringe events will take place at Wexford independent bookstore Red Books during the Wexford Opera Festival. Owner Wally O’ Neill said that the events would be ‘live literature’, an attempt to bring books alive and put their merit at the centre of artistic expression.
“We are lucky to have twelve live events coming up in the bookstore over the festival,” Wally said. “These events are provided by the artistic community that has evolved around Red Books, including writers, poets, historians, film-makers and musicians. We’re going to increase our opening hours again to facilitate these events so we’ll now be open to the public seventy hours a week.”
“People ask me why we bother with these events and I think of Jen Campbell’s quote, ‘All bookshops are full of stories, and stories want to be heard.’ We’ve all gone through the very worst of times over the last two years. We were part of a twelve member small shops group in Wexford town two years ago. Only two of those shops are still open now. We’re still here because booklovers supported us. Now we will continued to support these literary events in kind.”
Among the events taking place in the bookshop will be a concert by Imelda Kehoe and Mick Egan on the 27th, a spoken-word open-mic on the 21st and a number if book launches and pop-up performances.
An event titled ‘Lit-Opera’ hopes to fuse performers favourite literature together with musical expressions on Friday the 28th while Declan Reck will give a talk on the historical merchants of Wexford on Saturday the 5th.
The fourth issue of Red Books Press flagship publication the Wexford Bohemian will be launched in Red Books on Friday the 4th.
The 51st Annual Wexford Book Fair will conclude the literary events on Sunday the 6th of November, taking place from 11-5pm in Wexford’s Talbot Hotel.
More information about these events can be got from www.theirishbookshop.com or by visiting Red Books in Wexford’s St Peter’s Square or following them on Facebook or Instagram.
🔥 🔥 OPENING HOURS & SCHEDULE 🔥 🔥
THURS 20th 9.30-9PM
FRI 21st 9.30-10PM <OUTSPOKEN @ 7PM>
SAT 22nd 9.30-9PM <THE DEATH OF MONEY DOCUMENTARY SCREENING @ 7.30PM>
SUN 23rd 11-5PM
MON 24th 9.30-6PM
TUES 25th 9.30-6pm
WED 26th 9.30-9pm <A NIGHT WITH DAITHI KAVANAGH @ 7.30pm>
THURS 27th 9.30-10pm <IMELDA KEHOE w/ MICK EGAN & 8PM>
FRI 28th 9.30-9pm <LITOPERA @ 7PM - Sponsored by the LITTLE GEEKSHACK>
SAT 29th 9.30-8pm <BARDS, BALLADEERS AND BOOKS @ 5.30PM>
SUN 30th 11-5pm
MON 31st 9.30-6pm <THE DARKSIDE OF THE BOOKSHOP @ 12-5>
TUES 1st 9.30-6PM
WED 2nd 9.30-10PM <DARKSHINES @ 8PM>
THURS 3rd 9.30-9PM <BOOKLAUNCH "ALONG THE GRASSY PATH" @ 8PM>
FRI 4th 9.30-10PM <BOOKLAUNCH "WEXFORD BOHEMIAN #4 @8PM>
SAT 5th 9.30-8PM <THE MERCHANTS OF WEXFORD TALK @ 6PM>
SUN 6th 11-5PM <WEXFORD BOOK FAIR IN THE TALBOT HOTEL>