The Pig’s Back is a literary journal founded in Donegal, proudly flying the flag for the Northwest of Ireland. Editors Dean Fee and Emily Cooper were generous enough to give their time for an interview with the University Times.
On differences to Dublin-based counterparts, and the perks and challenges of running a journal from the periphery
Emily Cooper: It seems to me that each journal in Ireland has its own thing going on. I am trying to think of what a typical Dublin journal would be, but I keep remembering that this editor lives in Galway, that one in Cork. It might be more accurate to say that all the journals have a specific identity and preferences for what they like to publish and how they want their issues to look. I think the identity of The Pig’s Back might be more influenced by our own personal tastes in writing and aesthetics than simply the fact of living here.
In practical terms, being based in Donegal means that our facilities are here, many of our launches and events, and we aim to publish writers from Donegal as much as possible, but really, we are open to publishing good work by people living anywhere. We’re very lucky to have been supported from the first inception of the journal by the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny, an arts centre that supports local and international events and exhibitions.
We’ve had support from the Arts Council (AC), Creative Ireland and Donegal County Council through the Regional Culture Centre (RCC), and more recently, we have received independent funding from the AC. This year, we have published an all-Irish language issue of The Pig’s Back (Muin na Muice), edited by Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde and featuring only Donegal writers. Publishing an Irish language issue was an ambition from the start, so we were really pleased that that has come to fruition.
We are deeply connected to the literary community around the country, stocked in loads of bookshops (including Books Upstairs!) and we do events in Dublin and elsewhere throughout the year. Despite our local focus, we are certainly not isolated.
Dean Fee: I think I’ve always wanted The Pig’s Back to be international with regional roots. Just because something comes from a place doesn’t mean it has to stay there. It can be known further afield. We want to bring the world here, let it see what we have. We don’t believe there are any limits when it comes to who and what we publish. People may think that if you’re regional you’re small, but the world is wide open right now. We have the internet and we have access, so we have scope.
On operating out of Donegal
EC: Of course there are problems with living here: the transport is terrible, buildings are being left to fall down, incompetence and short-sightedness is rife, terrible architecture and infrastructure – but is that different to anywhere else in Ireland? There are also benefits to living in Donegal: it’s very beautiful, we have a calmer pace of life and we have plenty of our own cultural facilities and events.
The question of viability is a curious one, what makes living in one place more viable than another? It seems to me that urban places are often presented as more viable, despite often being much more expensive. I have lived in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Belfast. Each has their own pros and cons.
I suppose I’ve come to approach cities as places to “fill your cup” with socialising and exhibitions, and observations. Then I retreat back to the country where I can think about things in peace and have easy access to the sea, hills and all of that. A couple of years ago I would have said it was more financially viable to live in this way as a writer in Donegal. The reality now is the housing crisis and rising cost of living have impacted here as well, so perhaps the real question is whether it’s viable to live in Ireland at all anymore?
For the last few years, the Pig’s Back has organised a Journals Fleadh, which sees representatives and readers of journals from across Ireland descend upon Donegal to celebrate their craft. UT asked about the significance and the logistics of the landmark event, which last year featured appearances from prominent northern writers Louise Kennedy and Jan Carson.
DF: In 2023, we teamed up with the boys from Holy Show to put together a small one-day festival in Ramelton called Ramelton Notions. We showcased some work from both of our journals and launched a book by local writer Paul Charles.
From that, we realised there was definitely an audience for these sorts of events and the next year we hitched our wagon to the Earagail Arts Festival and put together the first Journals Fleadh. The initial intention was to get the editors of the island’s journals together in one place where we could discuss the cresting of this wave and how we can help each other out. There is a great sense of community.
As far as attitudes towards the peripheral regions go, it turns out all you have to do is ask and people will come. This island is beautiful, of course people will travel.
On advice and encouragement for burgeoning writers
EC: Keep going! It takes time to develop your voice and to find your place in the literary world. Read as much as you can and as widely. Read journals (and their guidelines) before you submit to them. Be generous with your time for other writers, join a writing group, go to events, get involved. Enjoy your successes and don’t be too dispirited by the failures. Focus on the writing and not the idea of being a writer. It’s ok to embarrass yourself a bit at the start, but try not to do it for too long.
DF: I’d also add that it’s important to keep your eyes open. Pay attention to what’s going on around you, to the simple things like the way people speak, the way they move, how the city smells, what the weather is doing. Incorporating these details into your writing will flesh your worlds out and make them feel lived in. Emily says to read widely, but also read deeply. If you come across a writer or a passage or writing you like, read it a few times, try and figure out what you like about it and what exactly the writer is doing to make you feel that way. It will all become second nature eventually.
On current works and future plans
EC: Outside of editing The Pig’s Back, I’m working on a prose book and some poetry projects. I have a little poetry book coming out with Blown Rose Press in London in a month or so. I’ve been doing research on Prof Anne Crookshank, who established the History of Art department at Trinity, and previously lived in our house in Donegal, so if anyone at Trinity has information on her to give me, please get in touch!
DF: I’ve just finished editing an anthology of essays on video games. It’s called CTRL and it’s coming out with Lilliput Press in April (it may already be out, who knows?). Apart from that, I’ve been working on a novel for the past few years, and that seems to be coming to an end. So fingers crossed.
