Kaleidoscope 
Mia Gallagher is the critically acclaimed author of two novels: HellFire (Penguin, 2006), awarded the Irish Tatler Literature Award 2007, and Beautiful Pictures of the Lost Homeland (New Island, 2016), longlisted for the 2016 Republic of Consciousness Award. Her debut short-story collection, Shift (New Island, 2018) includes ‘Polyfilla’, recently shortlisted for the 2018 Irish Book Awards.
Mia’s short fiction has previously been anthologised and published in Ireland and abroad, shortlisted for Hennessy (1991) and Bowen/Trevor (2011) awards and awarded the START 2005 Chapbook Award. Her reviews, articles and essays have been published in the Irish Times, The Guardian, The Stinging Fly, Architecture Ireland and Circa, amongst others. Collaborations include Electric Blanket, a sound installation with composer Jack Cawley and theatre-maker Ciarán Taylor; Ya Slip Ta Bang, a sonic bike project with UK artist Kaffe Matthews, based on the text of HellFire; and ‘Library Thing’, an essay for Dublin’s Goethe Institut Library, available online and as a single-edition hand-crafted book. As a theatre artist, Mia’s work has toured nationally in Ireland and travelled to the Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, France and the UK.
Mia has enjoyed the role of writer-in-residence in many different contexts, at home and abroad. She has received several Literature Bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland and is a contributing editor to the Stinging Fly. In 2018, she was elected as a member of Aosdána, an affiliate of Irish artists recognised for their contribution to Irish culture and society.
Photo credit: Robbie Fry
Kaleidoscope