Elaine Larkin is a journalist by profession and works in the public sector in a communications role.
Elaine started her journalism career in the Irish Times in 1998, moving onto editing supplements published in the Irish Independent before working as an in-house journalist in a financial institution.
This led her to the recession, and founding Web Content Partners, specialising in writing for the web. Having got sick of this she opted to return to PAYE employment and now works in PR and communications.
Creative writing
Elaine Larkin started writing poetry in the 1990s and has been published in an anthology of women’s poetry Women’s Work. Since then most of her creative writing practice has been around the novel. She is currently working on a suspense novel, and a trilogy for young adults. In 2015 she completed a Certificate in Creative Writing for Publication and has written two short plays which have been performed by New Line Theatre. She is a journalist by profession and works in the public sector in a communications role.
Plays
As a complete and utter means of distraction and procrastination on the novel, Elaine wrote two plays in 2015. Her first play ever was called Swipe Right, and was performed by Newline Theatre’s In Our Sites in June 2015. This was followed in September by The Cult of the Nine Grounds, part of Waterford’s Diversity Festival. Swipe Right is the better of the two and well worth an airing for a cast looking for a light, fun and topical play about online dating, and in a pub setting.
Poetry
Elaine’s portfolio of published creative writing began with the publication of a poem in a national women’s anthology of poetry Women’s Work is Never Done in 1991.
This made front page of the local newspaper “Elaine is town’s answer to Yeats” was the headline penned by an enthusiastic sub-editor.
She was again published in 1995.
That book
Around 1999 Elaine started writing a novel which she hopes to finish in 2014. Before picking it back up in 2014 she had achieved 50,000 words (half a book) and in 2007 spent some time in a writing centre in Greece to do research and write.
She’s still working away on it as well as a YA trilogy.
Short Stories for a Long Night
In 2012 a “tweet story” Elaine wrote as part of Bord na Móna’s 2011 ‘Short Story Long Night’ competition was published in a book Short Stories for a Long Night.
Listowel Writers Week #lww2014 short story entry shortlisted in Irish Independent
Emergency! Fire! He shrilled. Nobody at the cafe stirred. Nothing new. Fireman Sam went back to the toy kitchen in the kids corner. #LWW2014
— Elaine Larkin (@elainelarkin) April 28, 2014