The Stinging Fly Podcast

On this month’s episode Nicole is joined by Tom Morris to read from and discuss his story ‘Notes on Contributors’ published in Issue 54 Volume Two of The Stinging Fly magazine. In their conversation, Nicole and Tom talk about how writers discuss their writing routine and about the benefit of maintaining mystery and ambiguity in writing. They also discuss writing in the realm of the body rather tha...

On this month’s episode, contributing editor Mia Gallagher is joined by June Caldwell to read from and discuss her story ‘Night of the Big Wind’ from  Issue 53 Volume Two, the climate issue. June Caldwell  is twice a prize-winner of The Moth Short Story Prize (2024 & 2014) and a 2026 recipient of Writing Place, Writing Planet, with The UCD Mary Lavin Centre for Creative Writing and iCRAG Resea...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Ella Gaynor to read from and discuss her essay 'What About Rain?', published in the Winter 2025 issue of The Stinging Fly  ⁠ ⁠Issue 53 Volume Two, the climate issue. Nicole and Ella discuss the presence of weather in writing, how we think about and combat climate catastrophe, as well as pushing through doubt, writing about work, an...

On this month’s episode, The Stinging Fly poetry editor Annemarie Ní Churreáin is joined by poets Simon Costello and Jane Robinson to read from and discuss their poems that appear in The Stinging Fly Issue 53 Volume Two, the climate issue. Simon Costello is from Tullamore, Co. Offaly. His poetry has been published in The Poetry Review, Poetry London, Poetry Ireland Review, The Stinging Fly, bath m...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by magazine editor Lisa McInerney and former non-fiction editor Róisín Kiberd to discuss putting together the latest issue of The Stinging Fly. Taking the climate emergency as its theme, The Stinging Fly Issue 53 Volume Two presents a variety of responses to the impending climate catastrophe and our responsibility to the current political mom...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Odrán Waldron to read from and discuss his story ‘Temporary’, published in the Summer 2025 issue of  The Stinging Fly   ⁠⁠Issue 52 Volume Two.⁠ Odrán Waldron is a writer and hurler from Freshford, County Kilkenny, living in Belfast. His work has appeared in  Sonder  and  The Stinging Fly  and is forthcoming in  The Pig’s Back ; he hurls fo...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Rosa Mäkelä to read from and discuss her story 'Breathwork', published in the Summer 2025 issue of The Stinging Fly   ⁠Issue 52 Volume Two. Rosa Mäkelä is a writer from County Galway. Her stories have been published in The Stinging Fly, The Pigs Back, Banshee and Channel. ⁠Nicole Flattery⁠  is a writer and critic. Her story collect...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Aoife Bhreatnach to read from and discuss her essay 'Re-cataloging', published in the Summer 2025 issue of The Stinging Fly   Issue 52 Volume Two. Aoife Bhreatnach  lives in Cork and writes in English and Irish. Her podcast Censored explores the censorship culture of twentieth-century Ireland. Her essays have been published by  How...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by James Hudson to read from and discuss his story ‘Dog Story’, published in the Summer 2025 issue of  The Stinging Fly   Issue 52 Volume Two. James Hudson is a writer, editor and programmer from Dublin. His writing is published with  Southword Editions, The Stinging Fly, The Liminal Review, Channel, Neon Hemlock,  and others. He is the direc...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Tenaya Steed to read from and discuss his story ‘Water Lilies’, published in the Summer 2025 issue of  The Stinging Fly   Issue 52 Volume Two. Tenaya Steed is a writer and artist. Her stories have been published in  The Stinging Fly  and won the Michael McLaverty Award and The Stinging Fly/FBA Fiction Prize. She lives and works in Dublin....

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Paula Dias Garcia and James Young to read from and discuss their stories featured in the Winter 2024-25 issue of  The Stinging Fly   Issue 51 Volume Two. Paula’s story, ‘The Woods’ can be found on page 193, and James’ story, ‘Long Term Parking’, can be found on page 154. Paula Dias Garcia  is a queer writer and designer from Brasília, with...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Tim MacGabhann to read from and discuss his story ‘Pit’, published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of  The Stinging Fly   Issue 51 Volume Two. Tim MacGabhann  is the author of the novels  Call Him Mine  and  How to Be Nowhere , the long poem, ‘Rory Gallagher —Live!— at the Hotel’ of the Dead and the memoir  The Black Pool . A book of poems and...

{Note: It’s almost 8 years since we started our podcast and this is our 55th episode. Up to now, the series has focused on the wealth of material contained in the magazine’s back catalogue and our guests have been asked to select and read a story or essay from the archive. Starting this month, we switch the attention to more recent work with contributors to the current issue being invited to read...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Oisín Fagan to read and discuss Mariana Enriquez's story, ‘Back When We Talked to the Dead', translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell, originally published as in The Stinging Fly Issue 35, Volume 2: Winter 2019/20. Oisín Fagan is the author of  Hostages , and  Nobber,  which was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, shortli...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Mary O’Donoghue to read and discuss Colm O’Shea’s story, ‘Feeling Gravity’s Pull’, originally published as part of the Online Fiction series on The Stinging Fly website in October 2023. Mary O’Donoghue  is the author of  The Hour After Happy Hour   (Stinging Fly Press, 2023). Her short stories have appeared in  Granta ,  The Kenyon...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Colin Walsh to read and discuss Clara Kumagai’s story, ‘Real Boys’, originally published in  Issue 35, Volume 2: Winter 2016 – Fear & Fantasy . Colin Walsh ‘s first novel,  Kala , was published in 2023. A number one international bestseller,  Kala  won the Irish Book Award for Newcomer of the Year, was shortlisted for the Waters...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Rebecca Ivory to read and discuss Eamon McGuinness’s story, ‘Viewpoint’, originally published in  Issue 38, Volume 2: Summer 2018  of The Stinging Fly. Rebecca Ivory  is a writer based in Dublin. Her short fiction has appeared in  The Stinging Fly ,  Banshee ,  The Tangerine  and  Fallow Media . In 2020, she was awarded a Literature...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Roisin Kiberd to read and discuss John Patrick McHugh’s essay, ‘Name Your Character’, originally published in  Issue 44/Volume 2: Summer 2021  of The Stinging Fly. Róisín Kiberd  has written essays and features for the  The   Stinging Fly, The Dublin Review ,  Winter Papers ,  The White Review ,  The Guardian  and  Vice , among othe...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Caoilinn Hughes to read and discuss Emma Devlin’s short story, ‘The Gift’ originally published in  Issue 49 Volume 2 , Winter 2023-4. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience as part of Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2024.  Please note: there are some brief moments of distortion in the recording of the conve...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Gavin Corbett to read and discuss Rebecca Ivory’s short story, ‘Arrivals’ originally published in  Issue 45 Volume 2, Winter 2021-2 . The story was written as part of the ‘One Night Stands’ project, curated by Thomas Morris, for which Rebecca and three other writers were asked to write a short piece of fiction in a single night. Gav...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by Dean Fee and Emily Cooper to discuss their work as writers and editors of The Pig's Back . Read and discussed on the podcast are Danielle McLaughlin’s short story, ' Night of the Silver Fox ’ originally published in Issue 23, Volume 2 of The Stinging Fly , and Mathew Sweeney's poem, ' Donegal' , originally published in...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Claire-Louise Bennett to read and discuss Lucy Sweeney Byrne’s short story, ‘To Cure a Body’ originally published in Issue 35, Volume 2, a special Fear & Fantasy issue, guested edited by Mia Gallagher. You can access the story  here . Claire-Louise Bennett  grew up in Wiltshire and studied literature and drama at the University...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Sheena Patel to read and discuss Oisín Fagan’s short story, ‘Triangle’ originally published in Issue 39, Volume 2 of The Stinging Fly. You can access the story  here. Sheena Patel  is a writer and assistant director for the film and TV industry. She is part of the 4 Brown Girls Who Write collective, and her debut novel,  I’m a Fan ,...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Jan Carson to read and discuss Sheila Armstrong’s short story, 'Harlow'. Originally published on The Stinging Fly website in 2021, 'Harlow' is and available to read here. Jan Carson is a writer and community arts facilitator based in Belfast. Her first novel, Malcolm Orange Disappears , was published in 2014 followed...

On this month’s episode, host Nicole Flattery is joined by writer Colin Barrett to read and discuss David McGrath’s short story, ‘The Untameable Donkey’, originally published in our All New Writers issue,  Winter 2022/23 . Colin Barrett  grew up in County Mayo. His stories have been published in  The Stinging Fly ,  Granta ,  Harper’s  and the  New Yorker . His first book, the short story collecti...