June Caldwell
@junec.bsky.social
Lamplight Fellowship 2025 | Moth Short Story Prize 2024 | Somebody expo 2020 | Room Little Darker 2018 | Stinging Fly; The Moth; Winter Papers; Orca; The Lonely Crowd; Pennsylvania English; BBC4; Paper Visual Art; L'Esprit; Globe & Scales; Long Gaze Back.
Pinned
Stoked to have a #ShortStory 🌀Night Of The Big Wind🌀 in #TheClimateIssue of @stingingfly.bsky.social Huge thanks to Editor Lisa McInerney. I'm also super grateful to @artscouncilireland.bsky.social for a 2025 Literature Bursary Award. I'll be reading this story at #DoolinWritersWeekend in January.
Reposted by June Caldwell
I'll be reading at The Stinging Fly launch on Thursday. A character's personal tempest inside literal one or lesbian road trip with supernatural fairies, damaged bogs, an upturned camper van, high jinx, creepy haunting and winks to The Wizard of Oz & an historic storm that battered Ireland in 1839.
THE CLIMATE ISSUE 🌊
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week!
Join us as we celebrate the launch in The Digital Depot, Dublin 8 next Thursday 27th November from 7pm 🎉
This event is free but space is limited and booking essential - book your ticket here: stingingfly.org/product/wint...
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week!
Join us as we celebrate the launch in The Digital Depot, Dublin 8 next Thursday 27th November from 7pm 🎉
This event is free but space is limited and booking essential - book your ticket here: stingingfly.org/product/wint...
November 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I'll be reading at The Stinging Fly launch on Thursday. A character's personal tempest inside literal one or lesbian road trip with supernatural fairies, damaged bogs, an upturned camper van, high jinx, creepy haunting and winks to The Wizard of Oz & an historic storm that battered Ireland in 1839.
I'll be reading at The Stinging Fly launch on Thursday. A character's personal tempest inside literal one or lesbian road trip with supernatural fairies, damaged bogs, an upturned camper van, high jinx, creepy haunting and winks to The Wizard of Oz & an historic storm that battered Ireland in 1839.
THE CLIMATE ISSUE 🌊
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week!
Join us as we celebrate the launch in The Digital Depot, Dublin 8 next Thursday 27th November from 7pm 🎉
This event is free but space is limited and booking essential - book your ticket here: stingingfly.org/product/wint...
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week!
Join us as we celebrate the launch in The Digital Depot, Dublin 8 next Thursday 27th November from 7pm 🎉
This event is free but space is limited and booking essential - book your ticket here: stingingfly.org/product/wint...
November 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I'll be reading at The Stinging Fly launch on Thursday. A character's personal tempest inside literal one or lesbian road trip with supernatural fairies, damaged bogs, an upturned camper van, high jinx, creepy haunting and winks to The Wizard of Oz & an historic storm that battered Ireland in 1839.
Reposted by June Caldwell
Thirty five new courses @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social in early #2026 to mark 35 years in operation...including #WritingAShortStory with me and 'Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli', info below:
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli - Irish Writers Centre
This 6-week course will explore the characteristics of autofiction, ekphrasis (written description of a visual work), and creative non-fiction with Susan Tomaselli. Starts Tuesday 3 February 2026, 6.3...
irishwriterscentre.ie
November 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Thirty five new courses @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social in early #2026 to mark 35 years in operation...including #WritingAShortStory with me and 'Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli', info below:
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
Made this Butternut & Sage #Risotto as I had it recently at Circle of Missé Writers Retreat, France. Owner/chef Aaron Tighe is putting together a #cookbook of grub he feeds to writers! He makes his veg stock fresh, so I did too. It's very rich as it uses butter & cheese; once in an orange moon dish.
November 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Made this Butternut & Sage #Risotto as I had it recently at Circle of Missé Writers Retreat, France. Owner/chef Aaron Tighe is putting together a #cookbook of grub he feeds to writers! He makes his veg stock fresh, so I did too. It's very rich as it uses butter & cheese; once in an orange moon dish.
I'll be reading at this launch!
We're launching next Thursday 27th November in the Digital Depot - come one, come all!!
THE CLIMATE ISSUE 🌊
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week launching on Thursday 27th November in The Digital Depot, Dublin
🎨The Conversation by Limerick-based artist Robert Ryan, selected from the 195th RHA Annual Exhibition / Cover design Eimear Gavin.
More info stingingfly.org/newsletter/
Our Winter 2025-26 issue is out next week launching on Thursday 27th November in The Digital Depot, Dublin
🎨The Conversation by Limerick-based artist Robert Ryan, selected from the 195th RHA Annual Exhibition / Cover design Eimear Gavin.
More info stingingfly.org/newsletter/
November 21, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I'll be reading at this launch!
Reposted by June Caldwell
I went to Assassination Custard, the most precisely chaotic and singularly wonderful restaurant in Dublin, and had a very, very nice time.
observer.co.uk/style/restau...
observer.co.uk/style/restau...
Assassination Custard, Dublin: ‘Precisely chaotic and singularly wonderful’ | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 9:54 AM
I went to Assassination Custard, the most precisely chaotic and singularly wonderful restaurant in Dublin, and had a very, very nice time.
observer.co.uk/style/restau...
observer.co.uk/style/restau...
Reposted by June Caldwell
Every time the shocking, perplexing tactic of “giving money to people who need it” is tried, it turns out to work.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees staggering reduction in homelessness
The state program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years. At the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
www.streetroots.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Every time the shocking, perplexing tactic of “giving money to people who need it” is tried, it turns out to work.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
And yet people who have more money than they could ever need remain baffled.
Reposted by June Caldwell
So i did this #TedX talk in October in Tralee -a different way of communicating for me- it was a nerve-wracking but fascinating experience, & met some wonderfully diverse speakers on the day. Hope it gets more notice for the Irish 🇮🇪 revolutionary women #tedxtralee #speirgorm youtu.be/FLRIKMiJ5Qc?...
Revolutionary Women | Mary McAuliffe | TEDxTraleeWomen
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 7:47 AM
So i did this #TedX talk in October in Tralee -a different way of communicating for me- it was a nerve-wracking but fascinating experience, & met some wonderfully diverse speakers on the day. Hope it gets more notice for the Irish 🇮🇪 revolutionary women #tedxtralee #speirgorm youtu.be/FLRIKMiJ5Qc?...
Thirty five new courses @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social in early #2026 to mark 35 years in operation...including #WritingAShortStory with me and 'Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli', info below:
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli - Irish Writers Centre
This 6-week course will explore the characteristics of autofiction, ekphrasis (written description of a visual work), and creative non-fiction with Susan Tomaselli. Starts Tuesday 3 February 2026, 6.3...
irishwriterscentre.ie
November 19, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Thirty five new courses @irishwriterscentre.bsky.social in early #2026 to mark 35 years in operation...including #WritingAShortStory with me and 'Autoportraits: Making Stories from Art with Susan Tomaselli', info below:
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...
irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/auto...
Love a #VeggiePie in winter. Roast 500gms mushrooms, 1 onion, 3 garlic, 2tsp ras el hanout, 1tsp salt, 2tbsp olive oil: 1 hour at 160⁰. Roast 3 sweet spuds, 1 celeriac, 2tbsp oil 45 mins. Add tin puy lentils, ½ lemon juice & coriander to mushrooms, mash spuds adding 100gms cheddar; grill for 6 mins.
November 19, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Love a #VeggiePie in winter. Roast 500gms mushrooms, 1 onion, 3 garlic, 2tsp ras el hanout, 1tsp salt, 2tbsp olive oil: 1 hour at 160⁰. Roast 3 sweet spuds, 1 celeriac, 2tbsp oil 45 mins. Add tin puy lentils, ½ lemon juice & coriander to mushrooms, mash spuds adding 100gms cheddar; grill for 6 mins.
Received my contributor copy of The Stinging Fly yesterday and am dipping in & out as the pages fall open. Nandini Rawat's story *Tulipa* - about the human cost of the logistics industry under capitalism - is absolutely brilliant. Spiky, zany-paced and genuinely terrifying, what a fantastic writer.
November 19, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Received my contributor copy of The Stinging Fly yesterday and am dipping in & out as the pages fall open. Nandini Rawat's story *Tulipa* - about the human cost of the logistics industry under capitalism - is absolutely brilliant. Spiky, zany-paced and genuinely terrifying, what a fantastic writer.
Reposted by June Caldwell
Stoked to have a #ShortStory 🌀Night Of The Big Wind🌀 in #TheClimateIssue of @stingingfly.bsky.social Huge thanks to Editor Lisa McInerney. I'm also super grateful to @artscouncilireland.bsky.social for a 2025 Literature Bursary Award. I'll be reading this story at #DoolinWritersWeekend in January.
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Stoked to have a #ShortStory 🌀Night Of The Big Wind🌀 in #TheClimateIssue of @stingingfly.bsky.social Huge thanks to Editor Lisa McInerney. I'm also super grateful to @artscouncilireland.bsky.social for a 2025 Literature Bursary Award. I'll be reading this story at #DoolinWritersWeekend in January.
Reposted by June Caldwell
When we watched Jaws, the SHARK wasn't scary. The fin was. When we can see the monster, the scary factor disappears. Join me for this four week #WritingWorkshop and learn tools to imply the horror:
www.alexandrawriters.org/store/p958/w...
#WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #SpeculativeFiction
www.alexandrawriters.org/store/p958/w...
#WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #SpeculativeFiction
ONLINE Writing Horror Without Blood in Short Fiction
When we watched Jaws, the SHARK wasn't scary. The fin was. When we can see the monster, the scary factor disappears. Join me for this four week course to learn tools to imply the horror. Build dread t...
www.alexandrawriters.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:07 PM
When we watched Jaws, the SHARK wasn't scary. The fin was. When we can see the monster, the scary factor disappears. Join me for this four week #WritingWorkshop and learn tools to imply the horror:
www.alexandrawriters.org/store/p958/w...
#WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #SpeculativeFiction
www.alexandrawriters.org/store/p958/w...
#WritingCommunity #Writers #Writing #SpeculativeFiction
Haworth, Yorkshire, is a gorgeous #witchy town...straight out of the The Brontë parsonage, you hit a high street on a steep hill with lots of beautiful buildings.
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Haworth, Yorkshire, is a gorgeous #witchy town...straight out of the The Brontë parsonage, you hit a high street on a steep hill with lots of beautiful buildings.
Reposted by June Caldwell
Do pay attention to the submission guidelines for this — we're open to surprises, but this call is particular in what we're looking for.
We've just opened submissions on a brief call for short solstice writing. Let's see what happens!
Necessary Fiction - Winter Solstice: Points of Light
When the winter solstice approaches and days contract, I often return to seasonal rereads — Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Nina MacLaughlin's Winter Solstice, essays by Kathleen Jamie, or the fictio...
necessaryfiction.submittable.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Do pay attention to the submission guidelines for this — we're open to surprises, but this call is particular in what we're looking for.
Brontë Museum (sofa in the dining room is the one Emily died on).
November 16, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Brontë Museum (sofa in the dining room is the one Emily died on).
Jealous vibes re: my niece's kitchen. Entire house is gorgeous and homely. Landing in a rainstorm, however, spliced a few years off my life. Channel Tunnel from Ireland to UK needs to be sunk into the sea by some billionaire tosspot, thanks, kindly, or return of cheap ferries might work too. ⛴️ ⛴️ ⛴️
November 14, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Jealous vibes re: my niece's kitchen. Entire house is gorgeous and homely. Landing in a rainstorm, however, spliced a few years off my life. Channel Tunnel from Ireland to UK needs to be sunk into the sea by some billionaire tosspot, thanks, kindly, or return of cheap ferries might work too. ⛴️ ⛴️ ⛴️
Reposted by June Caldwell
Very pleased to share an essay on the craft (& crafting) of essays in the Irish Writers Handbook 2026. Thank you to @ruthmckee.bsky.social for commissioning. @booksireland.bsky.social
wordwellbooks.com/index.php?ro...
wordwellbooks.com/index.php?ro...
November 12, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Very pleased to share an essay on the craft (& crafting) of essays in the Irish Writers Handbook 2026. Thank you to @ruthmckee.bsky.social for commissioning. @booksireland.bsky.social
wordwellbooks.com/index.php?ro...
wordwellbooks.com/index.php?ro...
On red eye tomorrow to #Leeds. My super-organised #niece is doing airport pickups, plus taking us to Tetley building, water taxis, Kirkgate Market, Corn Exchange, Delhi Wala Street Food, Leeds Art Gallery, Pieminister and a trip to Haworth to the Brontë Museum. Excited to see her new gaff & chilli.
November 13, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by June Caldwell
NEW FICTION
Miriam Needham's story ‘Sometimes Women Find It Strange’
“How can this man be so sure of himself, Róisín thinks, when he is so strange, so different to the people around him? It’s almost offensive, the level of comfort he has with himself.”
full story🔗
stingingfly.org/2025/11/12/s...
Miriam Needham's story ‘Sometimes Women Find It Strange’
“How can this man be so sure of himself, Róisín thinks, when he is so strange, so different to the people around him? It’s almost offensive, the level of comfort he has with himself.”
full story🔗
stingingfly.org/2025/11/12/s...
November 12, 2025 at 1:09 PM
NEW FICTION
Miriam Needham's story ‘Sometimes Women Find It Strange’
“How can this man be so sure of himself, Róisín thinks, when he is so strange, so different to the people around him? It’s almost offensive, the level of comfort he has with himself.”
full story🔗
stingingfly.org/2025/11/12/s...
Miriam Needham's story ‘Sometimes Women Find It Strange’
“How can this man be so sure of himself, Róisín thinks, when he is so strange, so different to the people around him? It’s almost offensive, the level of comfort he has with himself.”
full story🔗
stingingfly.org/2025/11/12/s...
Reposted by June Caldwell
Emotion isn’t just about characters laughing or crying. What truly defines a character’s emotional depth is not just what they feel, but how they express it.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
What Makes Character Voice Memorable: Emotion | Jane Friedman
This excerpt from a new craft book by Jordan Rosenfeld explores the many ways our fictional characters manifest their internal emotions.
janefriedman.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Emotion isn’t just about characters laughing or crying. What truly defines a character’s emotional depth is not just what they feel, but how they express it.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.
Stoked to have a #ShortStory 🌀Night Of The Big Wind🌀 in #TheClimateIssue of @stingingfly.bsky.social Huge thanks to Editor Lisa McInerney. I'm also super grateful to @artscouncilireland.bsky.social for a 2025 Literature Bursary Award. I'll be reading this story at #DoolinWritersWeekend in January.
November 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Stoked to have a #ShortStory 🌀Night Of The Big Wind🌀 in #TheClimateIssue of @stingingfly.bsky.social Huge thanks to Editor Lisa McInerney. I'm also super grateful to @artscouncilireland.bsky.social for a 2025 Literature Bursary Award. I'll be reading this story at #DoolinWritersWeekend in January.