Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship
The fellowship is made possible through the very generous sponsorship of Cork City Council. The fellowship follows on from the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award and further demonstrates the commitment of the Munster Literature Centre and Cork City Council to the short story community. Named for one of Cork’s most renowned writers, it acknowledges the special place the short story form occupies in the cultural history and contemporary practice of the city.
Applications for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Fellowship are indefinitely suspended. The fellowship was in abeyance during 2022. The Canadian author Alexander MacLeod will be taking up the appointment in October 2023.
Alexander MacLeod’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail. His first collection of short stories, Light Lifting, was named a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, The Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and the Commonwealth Book Prize. In 2019, he won an O Henry Prize and in 2021, he and his friend and collaborator, Andrew Steeves, were awarded The Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts award for their book Lagomorph. His most recent collection, Animal Person, was published in 2022 and was recognized as a “Book of the Year” by The New Yorker and The Irish Times.
Benefits of the fellowship
The successful fellow benefits from the prestige of receiving a highly competitive international literary award which will not only allow the candidate to spend time concentrating on their own work, but also to acquire more experience in the delivery of workshops and mentorships. The successful fellow also receives a monthly stipend during their stay (September, October, November).
Duties of the fellowship
The fellowship requires the writer to be available in Cork city for certain responsibilities such as readings, mentoring and workshops and to find time to work on their own writing. Details of these duties are updated year to year.
Previous Fellows
Tina Pisco
2021 Frank O’Connor Fellow
Alannah Hopkin
2020 Frank O’Connor Fellow
Sara Maitland
2019 Frank O’Connor Fellow
Carys Davies
2018 Frank O’Connor Fellow
Marie-Helene Bertino
2017 Frank O’Connor Fellow
Zsuzsi Gartner
2016 Frank O’Connor