A Girl's Writing Is Never Done (c) Shauna Gilligan 2026
How wonderful to find a review in the Irish Times (6th April) of the Arlen House Anthology Tearing Stripes off Zebras edited by Nessa O’Mahony. The review highlights the quality and variety of the work, and I’m delighted to have a short story in it. The anthology is dedicated to the memory of Eavan Boland.
The editorial panel were honoured to have received over 500 submissions for the anthology. Thank you to everyone who trusted us with their work.
Since January, we have worked very hard, taking care in reading and re-reading/ re-viewing each submission and were buoyed by the wealth of artwork and writing which explored the themes in the call out:
personal responses to the themes of the sacred feminine, Brigid and the heritage of Kildare.
We have now contacted everyone who has submitted work and are looking forward to the next steps in working with the feminist press Arlen House. The anthology is due to be launched in October 2024 as part of Kildare Readers Festival and Brigid 1500 celebrations.
Thanks once again to Brigid 1500 and Kildare County Council for funding this project.
Keep her lit!
The Holy Cows Panel is truly grateful and overwhelmed with such a wealth of work from all across the world. The call out received an astonishing response with hundreds of individuals submitting beautiful writing, poetry, and visual art exploring themes of the Sacred Feminine, Brigid, and the Heritage of Kildare.
The submissions window is now closed! We will spend the next few weeks continuing to read and examine your work with the care it deserves. Expect to hear back from the panel by March 15th.
Shauna Gilligan Writer 