A&L Goodbody announces Catherine Ann Cullen as the first Docklands Arts Fund Writer in Residence
October 27th, 2016
From Left to Right: Sinead Connolly, DCC, Sinead Smith, Corporate Responsibility Manager, A&L Goodbody, Catherine Ann Cullen, Writer in Residence & Andrew Hetherington, Business to Arts at St. Joseph’s National School in East Wall. Picture Jason Clarke
Business to Arts and leading corporate law firm, A&L Goodbody, have today announced author Catherine Ann Cullen as the 2016 Writer in Residence under the Docklands Arts Fund. Catherine will work with children at St. Joseph’s Co-Ed Primary School in East Wall to develop their creativity and literacy skills.
The Writer in Residence role will see Catherine working with pupils at St. Joseph’s, participating in literacy workshops and supporting Business to Arts’ wider civic programme of promoting the Arts collaboratively through businesses and communities. The venture marks the first time that a business in Ireland has engaged a Writer in Residence programme with Business to Arts and Dublin City Council. As part of the partnership, A&L Goodbody will also provide funding for the programme worth €30,000 over three years.
Catherine Ann Cullen to date has published three collections of poetry The Other Now (2016), Doghouse, Strange Familiar (2013) and A Bone in My Throat (2007). Her children’s books, Thirsty Baby (2003) and the award-winning The Magical, Mystical, Marvellous Coat (2001), were published by Little, Brown in the US. Her work has been anthologised including in If Ever You Go: A Map of Dublin in Poetry and Song (Dedalus 2014). She won the Francis Ledwidge International Poetry Award in 2009 for her poem ‘Scooter’. She is a former producer with RTÉ Radio 1, and writes occasional pieces for the Sunday Miscellany programme.
Commenting on the announcement Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts said
“The Catherine Ann Cullen and A&L Goodbody residency with St. Joseph’s National School is an important and exciting community project as part of the Docklands Arts Fund. Catherine’s background as an author and producer, will give students at St. Josephs a very special opportunity to explore the magical world of literature through a new engaging format. We look forward to watching the residence develop, encouraging and instilling a love reading in all students involved.”
Sinéad Smith, Corporate Responsibility Manager at A&L Goodbody states:
“A&L Goodbody is delighted to be supporting this innovative initiative. This partnership builds and complements our ongoing work delivering similar projects to boost literacy levels in our local area. We look forward to working with Catherine Ann through the Writer in Residence programme which creates an exciting new dimension in our work to engage and inspire children.”
If you are a business, organisation or individual based in Dublin’s Docklands and would like to support the Docklands Arts Fund, please get in touch. For further information on the Fund see here.