Novelist Sue Divin leads a workshop for writers of all levels, from those starting out to those with work in progress. Divin writes fiction rooted in real places and real tensions, and her session explores how to build character-driven stories with emotional weight: finding a voice that convinces, using setting as more than backdrop, and writing about difficult subjects with humour and honesty. Expect prompts, exercises and plenty of discussion.
Lunch is included. Participants will leave with new work on the page and fresh direction for what comes next.

Limited spaces, please book early.

BOOKING LINK 

Sue Divin
Sue Divin is a Derry-based writer with Armagh roots. Writing with wry humour and emotional punch, her critically acclaimed novels are popular with teens and adults alike. Published in May 2026, Runaway Road (Macmillan) is on the Irish Times “Best fiction of 2026” list. Set in Northern Ireland and Donegal in 2023, it explores themes of family and belonging, identity, borders, youth justice and anti-racism.
Her debut, Guard Your Heart, described as “a Romeo and Juliet set in Derry 2016”, was Carnegie listed and is used internationally. Her second novel, Truth Be Told, “parent-trap meets Derry Girls”, was shortlisted in the Irish Book Awards and is on Ireland’s national curriculum.
With a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies and a career in peace-building, Divin’s writing often touches on diversity, reconciliation, borders and the legacy of the Troubles today. Her writing has been described as “profoundly powerful, subtle and effective” (The Guardian), “compelling” (Irish Times) and “laced with dry wit, emotion and self-deprecating humour” (Irish News).

Sponsors

Festival sponsors: Donegal County Council and the Finn Valley Voice.

About the Frances Browne Literary Festival

The Frances Browne Literary Festival celebrates the life and legacy of Frances Browne (1816 to 1879), the "Blind Poetess of Ulster". Rooted in her hometown of Ballybofey-Stranorlar, Co. Donegal, the festival brings together poets, writers, musicians and communities from Ireland and beyond to share in her spirit of creativity, inclusion and multilingual expression.

Frances Browne is the most important writer to emerge from Donegal’s Finn Valley. Her masterpiece, the children’s storybook Granny’s Wonderful Chair, was a bestseller all over the world, but she also deserves to be remembered for her unswerving opposition to slavery and all sorts of injustice. The festival works to bring Frances’s writing and astonishing life story to new generations, and to celebrate contemporary writers who continue in her tradition.

Full programme and festival information: www.francesbrowneliteraryfestival.com