Join us for an evening to celebrate the launch of Lucy Sweeney-Byrne’s second collection of short stories, Let’s Dance, published by Banshee Press. Lucy will be introduced by local author, Alexander Poots.

Book your free ticket HERE.

This collection of dark, hilarious and provocative short stories explores women on the brink – of love, of joy, of disaster – with Lucy Sweeney Byrne’s signature wit, insight and daring.

I’ve seen how the clouds look when viewed from above, stretched pink and gold-tinged for miles and miles and miles. I’ve seen a single cumulus cloud against a blue sky from my seat outside a café below, thrumming still in upness. I’ve seen the making of The Matrix bonus feature on the DVD, Keanu Reeves being lifted in his harness, Harvey Weinstein smiling and slapping backs on his way to somewhere else. I’ve seen dirty clothes pile up in a laundry basket, and hairs in the drain. I’ve seen smoke rise from the bonnet of my car.

A newlywed grapples with the chasm that has opened up between her and her husband on the subject of children. A young mother tries to eke out a life for her family on an island named for a dead man, unaware of the psychic toll that is taken on her by the land and sea. And a woman at a drug-fuelled house party ruminates on the dark past she shares with one of the guests. Utilising forms ranging from flash fiction to novella, Let’s Dance is a glittering display of fiction’s ability to probe, startle and entertain.

Lucy Sweeney Byrne is the author of the short story collection Paris Syndrome (2019, Banshee Press), met with critical acclaim and shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Edge Hill Prize, the Kate O’Brien Award, the Butler Literary Award, and the John McGahern Prize. Lucy’s short fiction, essays and poetry have appeared in The Dublin Review, The Stinging Fly, Southword, AGNI, Litro, Grist, 3:AM magazine, and other literary outlets. She also writes book reviews for The Irish Times.