The Place Which Shaped Us: Jan Carson and Dawn Watson

Belfast-based writers Jan Carson and Dawn Watson discuss their latest publications and how a childhood played out against the background of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has shaped them as both artists and human beings. Jan’s latest short story collection, Quickly, While We Still Have Horses, touches upon themes such as family, religion, mythology and Northern Irish identity, whilst Dawn’s much-acclaimed poem-story collection, We Play Here, imagines 1980s North Belfast through the eyes of four teenage girls and explores class, gender, queer identity, family dynamics, and youth culture in the 80s. Both writers use humour, absurdism and the supernatural to devastating effect in their work, and this conversation chaired by Heather Parry will give a wonderful taste of the distinct and unique voices currently emerging from the Northern Irish writing community.Part of our Ireland in Focus series, curated by Jan Carson, which brings some of Ireland's most exciting contemporary voices to Paisley.