Literary Tourism The Next Chapter: A Guide for SME’s & Stakeholders

The Spot-Lit project contained a mission, which was to put Literary Tourism on the map. This Guide shows how the project has made its first clear imprints on the Literary Tourism landscape, whilst suggesting future directions of travel, too. Certainly, the Literary Tourism map has huge potential to expand into new NPA territories. Whilst the role of digital technology has an important role to play in this, so too do many other innovations, such as the people-centred Literary Tourism models, the power of SMEs networking together in this creative space, and the development of trails and
quality marques across the regions. And in addition to the physical map, Literary Tourism must still strive to
locate itself convincingly in the mind maps of the regional tourism agencies.

The Guide is written for SMEs who are embarking on, or perhaps thinking about developing a Literary Tourism service or product that can be delivered to markets that may be local, domestic or international. The Guide is also intended to be of value to the many stakeholders who also have an interest in Literary Tourism, those local authorities, tourism agencies and the myriad of vibrant arts and cultural organisations across the project regions. We are grateful to all of them for their contributions that have informed the development and writing of this Guide.

Anthology Poetry Award

Entries are now invited for the Anthology Poetry Award. Established to recognise and encourage excellence in the craft of poetry writing and to provide a platform for publication, it is open to original and previously unpublished poems in the English language. Entries are invited from poets of all nationalities, living anywhere in the world. Poems submitted must be on the theme of ‘Dreams’ and should not exceed 40 lines. There is no limit to entries per person.

It is not a requirement, but is advisable to refer to Anthology magazine or purchase a copy before submitting your work, so that you can see the type of material we publish. Subscriptions and single copies are available to purchase through our online shop.

The winner will receive a €500 cash prize and the chance to see their work published in a future issue of Anthology Magazine.

The winner will also receive a one year subscription to Anthology Magazine

Submission Deadline & Entry Fees:
Early Bird: 31 July 2022 – €10 per poem
Deadline: 31 October 2022 – €15 per poem

For full details: https://anthology-magazine.com/poetry-award/

Terms and Conditions

To enter, submit an original, unpublished poem, written in English on the subject of ‘Dreams’ with a maximum of 40 lines.
Entry fee: €10 per poem if entered by midnight on 31 July 2022, or €15 per poem if entered by midnight on 31 October 2022.
There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.
There is no age limit.
The closing date for receipt of entries is 31 October 2022 at midnight.
Once selected, the winner will be contacted by email or telephone.
Copyright remains with the author but Anthologyreserves the right to be the first to publish or arrange a broadcast of selected works. The right to use the poems to further publicise this award is also retained.
Submission of a written piece implies the author’s acceptance of the terms and conditions.
Prize money will be paid on publication of the winning Poem in Anthology

Digital Possibilites for Your Business Survey

The Get into Digital Workshop session was a ‘show and tell’ of each of the technologies below, if you missed the workshop you can view it here :

Get Into Digital Workshop Recording

Access Passcode: @crtrF*0

Augmented Reality – Mobile Devices (Virtual interaction with your surroundings via mobile devices – e.g. Pokamon Go)
3D modeling / Photogrammetry(3D imaging developed from photographs – e.g. Google Street View)
Virtual Reality(e.g. Headsets providing an imagined world available from own private space)
Augmented Reality(e.g. AR glasses / headsets providing immersive and interactive experiences which enhance real life experiences)
Character / model animation through game engine visualisation(interactive game representation of specific scenarios e.g. battle re-enactments)
3D / 360^o imaging(modelling of locations, sites etc. to enhance user experience)

In addition, we would appreciate you input into this Digital Possibilities Survey so that we can get greater visibility of your individual needs in relation to adopting digital approaches in your business.

Literary Tourism Goes Digital: Online Workshop Friday 29 April.

The Western Development Commission (WDC) Ireland, Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) Northern Ireland, Regional Council of Kainuu (RCK) Finland, Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) Finland and Troms & Finnmark Municipality (TFFK) Norway, partners in the Interreg Northern Periphery Area Programme (EU NPA) Spot-Lit Literary Tourism Development Programme, are working with other partners across the EU NPA region towards the development of a project to continue to support the development of literary tourism across the NPA region in response to the next EU funding call.

N-Lite is a project to scale and develop the sector to grow in the coming years, it will assess suitable digital technologies to develop immersive visitor experiences in the region. To this end N-Lite are hosting a one-hour online ‘Get Into Digital’ workshop where we will offer you information on how to create digital applications in your literary tourism business. The workshop will provide exemplars of the use of different digital technologies to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on how your might create digital applications in your literary tourism business to assist your business management, marketing, customer engagement, content development, and literary tourism destination.

The session will be a ‘show and tell’ of each of the technologies below:

Augmented Reality – Mobile Devices (Virtual interaction with your surroundings via mobile devices – e.g. Pokamon Go)
3D modeling / Photogrammetry(3D imaging developed from photographs – e.g. Google Street View)
Virtual Reality(e.g. Headsets providing an imagined world available from own private space)
Augmented Reality(e.g. AR glasses / headsets providing immersive and interactive experiences which enhance real life experiences)
Character / model animation through game engine visualisation(interactive game representation of specific scenarios e.g. battle re-enactments)
3D / 360^o imaging(modelling of locations, sites etc. to enhance user experience)

Our experts will outline a short introduction to the various technologies, an explanation of how they work in practice and examples of practical uses in business contexts as well as some indication of cost for creation, implementation and maintenance, know-how required in your company for development and production.

The event will be held via Zoom on Friday 29 April 2022 – from 12:00 – 13:00 (GMT)

Please REGISTER for The Workshop HERE and we look forward to your participation.

In addition to this session, appreciate you input into this Digital Possibilities Survey to participants so that we can get greater visibility of your individual needs in relation to adopting digital approaches in your business.

View Spot-lit.eu Closing Conference Recording.

Exploring the History of Lady Gregory, WB Yeats and Raifteirí an File.

A new short film has been developed highlighting the collection of Lady Gregory and the treasure trove of Coole Park artifacts contained in the Kiltartan Gregory Museum. The film highlights the connection between Raftery an file and WB Yeats to the famed Kiltartan Cross in South Galway, Ireland. Filmed in conjunction with Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society at Kiltartan Gregory Museum with support The Western Development Commission and SpotLit.eu.

Kiltartan Gregory Museum is a former National School built in 1892 at the behest of the local landlord, Sir William Gregory of Coole Park, Gort. The Museum is Largely devoted to the works of Lady Gregory (1852 – 1932), widow of Sir William. During her time there, Coole became the meeting place for writers, chief of whom was W.B. Yeats who later bought Thoor Ballylee, artists, actors, statesmen, irish language enthusiasts, folklorists and traveling musicians.

Coole Park was the home of Augusta, Lady Gregory, folklorist, dramatist, co-founder of the Abbey Theatre and catalyst for the Irish Literary Revival. As an Irish speaker and accomplished translator, playwright, and keeper of journals, Lady Gregory’s linguistic and literary ability was key to resurgence of the west of Ireland culture, with her home providing space and support for the nation’s literary and artistic giants (including Douglas Hyde, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey, Jack B. Yeats, and John Millington Synge) to create and respond to the tumultuous social and political events of the times.

Antoine Raifteirí was a nineteenth century poet whose lyrics in Irish were translated into English by both Lady Gregory and Douglas Hyde (the first president of Ireland) who later published them. Ó Raifteirí died at the house of Diarmuid Cloonan of Killeeneen, near Craughwell, County Galway, and was buried in nearby Killeeneen Cemetery. In 1900, Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and W.B. Yeats erected a memorial stone over his grave, bearing the inscription “RAFTERY”. A statue of him stands in the village green, Craughwell.

The Wild Atlantic Way Literary Performance Framework Model.

The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) is not only one of the world’s longest defined coastal routes, but it is also a magical coastal route that has drawn people to Ireland’s west coast because of the natural beauty of its surrounding landscape, enchanting villages, ancient monuments, and literary heritage that has the potential to attract visitors. Ireland has long been known around the world as a country of great writers, poets, and playwrights, and the Wild Atlantic Way is no exception. The aim of the WAW Literary Performance Model was to create a bespoke and unique literary performance-based model that is economically sustainable in the future and can attract both domestic and international audiences to experience the Wild Atlantic Way’s unique literary heritage.

The Wild Atlantic Way literary Tourism Framework Model for the Republic of Ireland has been developed by The Western Development Commission. Literary Producers Dani Gill and Brendan MacEvilly have desiged a model, consisting of two major elements-an original stage show blending literature with music, film and live performance, that will travel to a number of festivals and venues along the Wild Atlantic Way, and a site-specific commissioning project based on lighthouses, that engages stakeholders across the western region and allows regional writers and artists to be part of a unique, national literary offering.

The key aims of the project were to create a bespoke programme using immersive techniques to engage people (literary enthusiasts and culturally curious) in the literature of the region.
Collaborate and engage with existing and new partners to provide co-produced literary offerings that enhance literary based experiences in the region.
Raise public awareness of contemporary literature, promoted domestically and internationally.
Engage writers regionally to be part of a paid collaboration, and stimulate legacy for the project through attracting stakeholders.
Produce a site specific work that can be launched by a major festival but that can also continue to happen in certain locations after the festival events in a self-guided fashion.

The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) Literary Performance Model focuses on enhancing and complementing the Wild Atlantic Way’s existing tourism product and its wealth of literary assets through immersive and creative performance-based activity. The model offers opportunities for the connection between physical spaces and literary works to be exploited through performance (song, dance, art, etc.) that allows visitors to feel as if they have ‘jumped into’ the related literary work, thereby stimulating enriched visits and increased business opportunities.

The WAW Literary Performance Model focuses on modern literature, but it can be applied to a broad range of literature. Find Out More About The two literary performance Models, The Lighthouse Project and The Alphabet of Birds.

Digital Innovations for Growth Literary Framework Model.

Coming into the Spot-lit project, our aim as a developer was to create a place where we could gather curated information on literature in an increasingly digital world. However, as the project progressed and the partnership worked on developing the literature models, it became clear that a single application would not capture the richness and diversity of literature across the NPA properly. Over the past three years, we worked with stakeholders from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Finland to gather information, and design applications suitable for the needs of the regions – a total of 13 applications, available on Android and iOS app stores. A number far greater than we anticipated coming into the project.

By having multiple applications, we gave each region more space to highlight the local authors, cultural assets, heritage, businesses, and events. Each app can provide insight into their area, recommend places to visit, events to participate in, and what to experience. Another benefit of multiple applications is the freedom of each region to choose the contents and visuals of their application, without needing to limit the number of assets they can showcase.

In addition to the applications, we work on an app editing platform, where local stakeholders will be able to update contents of their application without requiring software developers. For each application, a few people have been selected who will maintain the contents of the applications. Information about authors, places and events can be updated, and the built-in map makes it easy to add new locations or points of interest.

Work on the Spot-lit project has been a learning process. We balanced between the requirements of 13 applications, while ensuring that the contents and visuals meet the needs of the regions. A written guide is being prepared, to preserve the lessons learned, and provide guidance on maintaining the applications well beyond the lifetime of the Spot-lit project.

Young Peoples Literary Framework Model; Storybook Dumfries.

Wigtown Festival Company in southwest Scotland is the Scotland partner in the Spot-lit project. Wigtown Festival company literary framework model focus is to enhance their child- and family-centred literature concept, which is called Story Book Dumfries. This project aims to promote Dumfries & Galloway as Scotland’s home of children’s books, a family attraction, and a national cultural resource. In Story Book Dumfries’ case it is important to realise that it is not affiliated with any organisation. It provides a platform for a diverse group of partners who believe in the potential of children’s literature to inspire and deliver practical advantages to the Dumfries area.

Due to Covid19 the Moat Brae House in Dumfries, which was Peter Pan author JM Barrie’s childhood home, has been closed. Instead of concentrating on the Moat Brae House, the Story Book Dumfries project team has formed links with other leading organisations, such as Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival and The Stove artists’ network.

The Story Book Dumfries project’s long-term goal is to deliver substantial cultural, social, and economic advantages to Dumfries through children’s literature and the town’s status as the home of Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling at Moat Brae House. The first goal was to collaborate with partners such as cultural organisations and small businesses to create a year-round calendar of events, activities, and attractions. The project’s second goal is to establish local roots by fostering the development of skills, expertise, and resources in the field of children’s literature in Dumfries. The third goal is to increase the influence of Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling and to boost its profile.

WILDETHINGS Literary Framework Model.

Spot-lit Partner Arts Over Borders celebrate the Wilde and Beckett connection to Enniskillen with the launch of two new literary products. Oscar Wilde, with the installation of 150 gold-leaf swallows on buildings around central Enniskillen and close to the new mural of The Happy Prince by Jordan Shaw, and Beckett, with 64 black and white chess board squares in 64 separate indoor locations across Enniskillen.

Oscar Wilde, the playwright, poet and wit spent seven years (1864-71) in Enniskillen at Portora Royal School. His popular fairytale The Happy Prince was inspired by Ennniskillen’s Cole Monument that stands high above the town and that Wilde could see from his dormitory window. In the story the statue of the happy prince pleads with the little swallow to stay and distribute his jewels and gold leaf to town people to make them happy. The Happy prince bestowed kindness,compassion, love and empathy on the community.

Beckett who was facinated with the game of chess , it appears in his plays Endgame and play and the novel Murphy – is being marked with 64 black and white chess board squares in 64 separate indoor locations across Enniskillen. To coincide with Wilde’s birthday, on 16th October, 32 chess pieces sculpted in bronze by artist Alan Milligan were moved in a choreographed sequence across the town by volunteers, inspired by Beckett’s TV play Quad.

Download Follow The Swallow Guide in PDF HERE.

Download Beckett Chess Set PDF http://https://www.spot-lit.eu/wp-content/uploads/beckett-chess-set-map-1.pdf

HIGH above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince.
He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold,
for eyes he had two bright sapphires,
and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.
(THE HAPPY PRINCE fairy tale opening lines by Oscar Wilde pub 1888).