24 April,
Workshop /
Polly Barton: Non-Fiction: Conversation as Inspiration, Conversation as Material
Friday, 24 April 2026, 11:00am
O’Donoghue Theatre, University of Galway / €65
Book NowConversation is a hugely valuable – and often overlooked – tool in the non-fiction writer’s kit. Often viewed as the preserve of fiction, conversation can form a mainstay of the practice of producing essays, memoirs and creative non-fiction books. Facilitated by Polly Barton, a strong believer in the importance of dialogue for inspiring, informing and shaping all kinds of non-fiction, this workshop will encourage participants to consider dialogue as the starting point and lodestar for works of non-fiction, engaging in various creative exercises designed to open up new ways of looking at real-life conversations. Suitable for writers of all kinds, from those with an oral history project on the go to those who have never considered that dialogue could have its place in non-fiction.
Polly is a writer and Japanese literary translator. Her translations include Butter by Asako Yuzuki, Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, Where the Wild Ladies Are and The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda, and Mild Vertigo by Mieko Kanai. She is the author of Fifty Sounds and Porn: An Oral History. Her debut novel What Am I, A Deer? comes out from Fitzcarraldo Editions in April.
Event Location
O’Donoghue Theatre, University of Galway
Book Now Back to What's OnStep free venue with accessible toilet facilities. Accessible parking is located on campus in front of the Quadrangle Building four minutes from the venue. There is no Loop system. HEPA filter
will be in use for workshop spaces.
