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Manchán visits the Hill of Tara to consider the meaning and mythology of Samhain, Hallowe'en. A tiny tale from The Almanac of Ireland.

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Curtis Sittenfeld reads her story from the November 2, 2020, issue of the magazine. Sittenfeld is the author of one short-story collection, “You Think It, I’ll Say It,” and six novels, including “Prep,” “Eligible,” and “Rodham,” which came out earlier this year. 

Sometimes, a project just comes together in the most organic, meant-to-be way, and nothing can stop it. What’s that like? We explore that experience in this episode with our guest, Amy Irvine, who co-wrote Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics & Place with our previous guest, Pam Houston. We’ll talk about how the form emerged--what began as an epistolary exercise became a fully fledged book. We’ll talk about how creative endeavors can create friendships. We also talk about her previous book, Desert Cabal, about backlash against women writers and more. 

Amy Irvine won the Orion Book Award and Colorado Book Award for her memoir, Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land Her next book, Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness, is a feminist response to Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire, and one of Orion’s “25 Most-Read Stories of the Decade.” It was also added to Outside Magazine’s Adventure Canon and named by Backpacker as one of its New Wilderness Classics. During the pandemic, Irvine co-authored Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics & Placewith Pam Houston; the book is forthcoming in October 2020, as is Amy’s latest essay for Orion: “Close to the Bone.” Irvine teaches in the Mountainview Low-Residency MFA program at Southern New Hampshire University. In addition to frequently teaching for Orion Magazine, she has taught at Western Colorado University, the Free Flow Institute, Whitman College’s Semester in the West, the University of Utah’s Environmental Humanities Program at Rio Mesa, and Fishtrap’s Outpost. Irvine lives and writes off-grid on a remote mesa in southwest Colorado, just spitting distance from her Utah homeland.

Amy Irvine

Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics & Place

Desert Cabal

Desert Solitaire

Pam Houston

How do you spot a changeling, a human child that has been replaced by a fairy? Billy Connell tells us what to look for.

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Roddy Doyle reads his story from the October 19, 2020, issue of the magazine. Doyle is the author of thirteen novels, including the Booker Prize-winning “Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha” and “The Dead Republic.” His most recent novel, “Love,” came out earlier this year. 

We're still crafting new stories for you that we'll be showcasing soon on The Almanac of Ireland. In the meantime, have you ever wondered how you might help a fogbound currach find its way safely back to shore? Manchán hears a story about how the innovative people of Inismaan did it.

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Another tiny story from the Aran Islands about how to keep your bearings when at sea in foggy weather.

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The Almanac of Ireland will be back shortly with brand new adventure-filled stories from all over Ireland. Until then, please enjoy this tiny tale of sheep, hay ropes, and an ingenious plot to escape an IRA attack.

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In this episode, Miles is joined by Ian D'Alton (Trinity College, Dublin), Gillian Dooley (Flinders University Australia) and Frances White (IMRC, Chichester) to discuss Iris' Irishness. Areas covered include her biography and links with Irish culture, along with the novels 'The Unicorn', 'The Red and the Green', and her only short story 'Something Special'.

Joseph O’Neill reads his story from the October 5, 2020, issue of the magazine. O’Neill is the author of four novels, including “Netherland,” which won the PEN/Faulkner award in 2009, and “The Dog.” His first story collection, “Good Trouble,” came out in 2018.