Do you struggle with developing characters for your short stories or novels? In this short, interactive workshop Belfast-based novelist and short story writer, Jan Carson will lead you through some simple writing exercise in order to help you writer believable, memorable and really interesting characters.

Tonight she will discuss the writing of No Vacancy which has just been published by No Alibis Press. Inspired by Jan Carson’s various (and numerous) hotel visits of recent years, her new book is a collection of micro-fiction. Whether it’s winning ownership of the Isle of Man in a game of pool or decoding the messages of a one-eyed man in Norwich, each story features Carson’s ethereal wit and surreal set-ups, written in her distinctive style.

Award-winning Belfast writer Jan Carson returns to Aspects to discuss her extraordinary new novel.

Save the date for the launch of Jan’s tenth book, a microfiction collection called No Vacancy, including tiny stories about staying in hotels around the world.

Please join the Keough-Naughton Institute for a public event with Belfast author Jan Carson. As part of the ACIS Midwest + South Regions Meetings 2026, Carson will provide the conference’s keynote address on Saturday, September 26th, 4:30 - 5:45 pm in 215-216 McKenna Hall. This specific ACIS event will be free and open to the public.

In this lively, illustrated talk Belfast-based novelist and short story writer Jan Carson will take us on a whirlwind journey through the canon of her work.

Jan will be joining Rick O’Shea and a host of other artists on RTE'’s flagship arts programme, Arena to talk about and read from her new microfiction collection No Vacancy.

Inspired by Seamus Heaney’s enduring connection to Lough Neagh, this special afternoon presents a sequence of events exploring the beauty, fragility and future of Ireland’s largest lake. 

Jan will be joining Kathy Clugston and a host of other artists on BBC Radio Ulster’s flagship arts programme, The Ticket to talk about and read from her new microfiction collection No Vacancy.

What role do critics, publishers and book clubs play in bringing translated literature to the public? 

The conversations are inspired by Literature Ireland's collection of Irish literature in translation, which are also included in the National Library's book collection.

Jan Carson presents Pick of the Week on BBC Radio 4; a forty five minute round up of the week’s best radio across the BBC

L’auteure Jan Carson sera en conversation avec la journaliste Agnès Rotivel, en charge notamment de l’Irlande et du Royaume-Uni au quotidien La Croix. 

Join Jan and Belfast-based writer of Clara and Christina, Andrew Cunning for a lively chat about books, writing and their two latest novels.

The annual Feis Teamhra/A Turn at Tara, which features readings and performances by internationally recognized Irish writers and musicians, will be held between 3 and 5 o'clock on Sunday 23 August 2026 in the Visitors’ Centre on the Hill of Tara.

Jan Carson ‘captures the absurdity and beauty of life’ like no other according to Sara Baume – so, who better to lead this masterclass on magical realism,

Surreal times call for surreal stories. Jan Carson’s Few and Far Between imagines an alternative history in which a community marooned on a haunted archipelago – a supposed utopia built to escape the Troubles – is now sinking under its own secrets.

A masterclass in bringing a novel to life and ensuring it does justice to the sum of its parts. This session will include an opportunity to ask Jan any questions you might have.

Join North Coast Book Club and award-winning Belfast writer Jan Carson for an evening of storytelling and discussion around her new novel, Few & Far Between.

This lively, interactive, and incredibly practical workshop will equip you with everything you need to begin or continue your journey with the short story.

Dazzling Debuts: Andrew Cunning and Ruth McKee in Conversation with Jan Carson 

Jan Carson in Conversation with Wendy Erskine 

EastSide Arts presents an innovative collaborative performance ‘A Love Song to Lough Neagh’.

Bringing together the talents of writer Jan Carson, the EastSide Choir, singer-songwriter Hannah Lockhart and harpist Ursula Burns. Via song and spoken word this relevant and emotive piece proposes a creative response to the current ecological emergency facing the Lough. Exploring the themes of hope and community amidst crisis developed in Jan’s new novel ‘Few and Far Between.’ 

The award-winning author of The Raptures and The Fire Starters, Jan Carson, will be in conversation with writer and journalist Roisin Kiberd. Join for a wide-ranging conversation including a discussion of Jan’s most recent novel, Few and Far Between (Penguin, 2026).

This two-hour workshop introduces the rich literary tradition of magical realism, exploring the genre and its artistic style; showing how to incorporate fantastical, supernatural, or mythical elements into realistic, everyday settings. 

In this illustrated talk, Belfast-based writer Jan Carson will dissect her recent novel Few and Far Between, exploring the cultural, historical, literary and mythical influences upon the story.

Enjoy refreshments with the Ilkley Literature Festival team, receive an exclusive preview of 2026 festival highlights coming this autumn, and hear from our special guest Jan Carson, the award-winning Northern Irish novelist and author of The Raptures.

Join Belfast-based award winning author Jan Carson in conversation about her new book 'Few and Far Between'!

Prepare to be enchanted! Come on a magical adventure, a perilous trip to another world  with four of the most imaginative writers.

Jan Carson imagines an alternative version of Northern Ireland’s recent past where this mad plan to drain Lough Neagh goes ahead, exposing an archipelago of tiny islands in the middle of the lake (which really exist) that become home to a community seeking refuge from the Troubles. 

If you've always wanted to read Woolf but have been put off by stuffy academia, our panel will save you. Enjoyable, lively and moving, her novels ring true even a hundred years on. No one should be afraid of Virginia Woolf!