Become Boundless

A wealth of quirky, unconventional ways to engage with
storytelling & words awaits you this May at ILFDublin.

International Literature Festival Dublin returns this May with a 10-day programme filled with events and activities from the 20-30 May. Every year, Boundless looks beyond the traditional with a programme of experiences designed to engage with literature in unconventional ways and this year in particular invites you to step outside and reconnect with your fair city, Dublin.

Find moments of poetry and prose in Dublin city, get quizzical with The Light House Cinema Book Club, or step up to the mic at REIC; within Boundless, there’s something for everyone.

Get Playful by Post:

I Want You To Know
Drawing on memory, story, curiosity, and playfulness, I Want You To Know is about reconnecting with the world, and finding new wonder and joy. Three artists, Clare Monnelly, Shane O’Reilly, and Maïa Nunes, have been specially commissioned to create a message which will be posted to your home.
[20 – 30 May, Letters €5 (posting worldwide)]

Pin Point
Experience an unconventional moment of intimacy in the city, through text. Sign up to receive a letter which will unfold as both a personal memory of the space on the day it was written, and a document which invites you to experience a moment of connection with your surroundings. Created by Luke Casserly & Shanna May Breen, this is a very special micro, site-specific encounter to take place in St Stephen’s Green Park. [20 – 30 May, Letters €5]

Film & Literature:

Cinema Book Club Quiz
Keyboards at the ready for a special festival Cinema Book Club Quiz Night with quizmasters Charlene Lydon and Chelsea Morgan Hoffman from The Light House Cinema covering all things literature and the screen. [Thu 27 May, 7.30pm, free, booking required]

A screening of Eric Rohmer’s My Night With Maud
This screening complements best-selling author of Call Me By Your Name, André Aciman’s appearance at ILFDublin, where he will be discussing his latest essay collection Homo Irrealis which includes an essay on ‘Eric Rohmer and Me’. Discover how this classic film from the French new wave taught André Aciman about the illusions of his youth. [Available to rent on VOLTA.ie, €2.99]

Something to Food About:

One … Simple Message Anna Jones in conversation with Aoife McElwain
Food and travel, what better combination could there be! Join pioneering and endlessly inventive, award-winning food writer Anna Jones as she talks about travelling the world one recipe at a time. [Wed 26 May, 7.30pm, €5]

Speak Up & Listen:

REIC
Join an evening of multilingual spoken word and open mic night that features poetry, music, storytelling and rap. This exclusive ILFDublin event includes performances by Ciara Ní É, Roxanna Nic Liam, Tadhg Ó Grifín, and Celia de Fréine. [Fri 28 May, 6pm, €5]

Reconnect Creatively (& Safely) With Your City:

A Flâneuse in Dublin
From the Rosie Hackett bridge to the women of the Easter Rising, to Outhouse and the Moore Street traders, discover the hidden stories of women who lived in Dublin on a fascinating self-guided audio walking tour, Flâneuse, created by Niamh Mongey with contribution by Sara Philips (Chair of TENI), Joyce Garvey (filmmaker and author of Lucia Joyce: Who Dances in Shadows) and more. Produced and edited by sound designer, composer and songwriter, Sinéad Diskin. [Available from 23 May, Free]

Conair Filíochta: Both Sides of the Liffey
Take a walk on both sides of the Liffey for this fascinating bilingual self-guided poetry trail, Conair Filíochta, curated by Ciara Ni É. This walk features recited poems at special locations by five exciting voices in contemporary Irish poetry, including Aifric Mac Aodha, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Paddy Bushe, Mícheál Ó Ruairc & Seosamh Ó Murchú. [Available from 23 May, Free]

The Power to Empower Exploring Dublin’s Book Clubs
Pop your headphones on and join Lisa Marie Griffith’s podcast exploring the history of Dublin Book Clubs and asks: if reading is a solitary pursuit, why do so many of us love book clubs? Dublin has had a lively book club scene since the late eighteenth century, and this podcast tracks their emergence, evolution and diversity as well as our dedication to book clubs today – in all shapes and sizes. [Available from 23 May, Free]

Lost Ireland: The Dublin Northside Edition
Explore the ‘lost’ buildings of Dublin on this atmospheric and evocative self-guided audio walk and discover a surprisingly multi-layered city and society. Your guide will be photographic historian and librarian Orla Fitzpatrick who will unearth the stories behind the elaborately-decorated French urinals on Eden Quay, the High Altar on O’Connell Bridge, and so much more. [Available from 22 May, Free]

Explore the full Boundless programme here.