Over one hundred people crowded into a small independent Wexford bookshop to hear fifteen local authors read from eighteen recently published Wexford books and contributing to the novel Support Local Authors event aimed at highlighting the quickly growing Wexford publishing industry in the days leading to Christmas.

“We had to hold the event to highlight the incredible range and worth of books currently being produced in Wexford,”  said Wally O’Neill, owner of Red Books and organiser of the event, who added: “Wexford is going through a literary renaissance.  We’ve always been known as a place where great authors like Banville and Toibín are born but now we have a whole new generation of authors, many of whom are subverting the traditional publishing industry in favour for more independence.”

Fifteen authors read at the Support Local Writers event in Red Books in St Peter’s Square. They were Daithi Kavanagh, Margaret Byrne, Ron Smith, Lorna Whitty (representing the South Wexford MS group), Des Kiely, Jer Ennis, Noel Culleton, Billy Roche, Maleen Junge, Eamon Colfer, Emma Ennis, Ruby O’Connor, Margaret Galvin, Mark Rice and Tom Logan.  All the books they read from are new, locally produced and available as ideal Christmas presents this year.

Local author Daithi Kavanagh said that he felt that there was a very vibrant writing community developing in Wexford. “It’s great to be able to read at events like this where the public turn up to support local authors.  A lot of the writers’ tonight are newly published and it’s a big step to put yourself out there.  None of us expect to become millionaires.  We’re in this for the love of writing but having that bit of support and encouragement is crucial.”

Emma Ennis, a speculative fiction author from Murrintown, echoed Daithi’s words; “I guess I’m use to selling more books in America than in Wexford,” Ms Ennis said.  “It’s great to have local authors being highlighted in this manner and it’ll give the growing local publishing industry a huge boost.  It’ll also show all those people out there, especially the young ones, that writing a book is not impossible.  It’s hard, it’s often lonely, but it’s possible and now, there is an audience for it.”

In conclusion, Wally O’Neill said; “You could easily compare the town (Wexford) now to the literary scene in Dublin in the 1950s or Galway in the 1990s.  As an independent bookshop, we are in a unique position to see it happening and its exciting.”