"Listening to Lucy Caldwell read from her short stories and novels was an absolute delight. Each piece she read was introduced with a description of not only itself but also of its development. It was fascinating to hear about her writing process - how little time some stories need, while others are written over a decade - and how her rhetorical choices serve each story's needs. I was also particularly excited to hear about her wish to fill spaces that had been left open in Northern Irish writing, in particular by centering female voices in her short stories. Overall, I think it's absolutely vital for those of us in Irish Studies to hear directly from writers and artists how they go about their work, and to experience Lucy Caldwell's visit to Flensburg."
Carolin Böttcher
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"At Lucy Caldwell's reading, organised by EUF's Centre for Irish Sudies in the impressive rooms of the European Centre for Minority Issues in downtown Flensburg, the author read form her recent work, both form her short stories and from the novel These Days. What made this reading particularly interesting was the insight into her creative processes she provided around the extracts that were read. We learned about the specific cultural and political contexts in which her fiction is embedded, about the differences between writing a novel and writing a short story, and about the challenges of writing about 1940s Belfast while in lockdown in London during the pandemic. It was an enjoyable as well as informative evening."
Rebekka Rohleder
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"Attending Lucy Caldwell's reading was a lovely experience! It was very interesting and inspiring to listen to her talk about and read from her books. The reading sparked my interest in learning more about Northern Irish culture and history. It was especially fascinating to hear tell the untold stories of women in Northern Ireland. I was also very inspired by her personal writing and editing experiences and by the way she explained how some of her stories came into being."
Marlena Ewald
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"I had the great pleasure of attending Lcuy Caldwell's reading in Flensburg. As a student of English and history, the evening brought together two of my core academic interests. It was particularly compelling to gain insight into the ways in which Irish history and culture have shaped Caldwell's work. While I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her read, it was her reflections and anecdotes about how these stories came to life that I found truly inspiring."
Alina Wanner
Efacis