Paddy O'Reilly is the author of a collection of award-winning stories, The End of the World, a novel, The Factory, and a novella, Deep Water.
Her national and international story awards include 'The Age', the 'Judah Waten', 'Zoetrope All-Story' (USA) and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Short Story Competition (UK).
Her stories have been widely published and broadcast, and anthologised in Australia and overseas in collections such as Best Australian Stories and New Australian Stories. |
Paddy
loves the short story form and runs inspirational
workshops to help participants discover the stories
that only they can write. She is available for
workshops and talks to secondary students and
adults.
Check out Paddy's website at www.paddyoreilly.com.au
"...a brilliant contemporary writer whose stories at times evoke such a warm sense of homeliness and yesteryear, and at other times offer a perceptive comment or two on life. Paddy O'Reilly's collection constantly drifts between good and great, but you are never left lamenting. Her style, her imagery and metaphor are a pleasure to read. The originality of her storytelling and the devices she uses are sometimes quirky (such as little aliens that eat wheatgrass) but always succeed..." (Five stars)
-Bookseller and Publisher, on The End of The World
"The
Factory is a beautifully crafted and intriguing
novel; so closely worked and self-consistent each
part carries its full effect. The intricate plotting
- the way it pieces each part of the story together
- equals the way individuals find themselves bound
to a group. And the writing, with its watchfulness
- its close observation of people and places -
creates a world at once lonely and claustrophobic."
- Lisa Gorton, The Age.
"For
me, attending Paddy's workshop was one of the
best things that I have done for my writing in
a very long time. I had a "penny drop"
moment which in itself is worth its weight in
gold. I would recommend Paddy's workshops to anyone
and everyone who has an interest in the short
story form."
-
Attendee from Paddy's workshop at the Ballarat
Writers' Festival 2005.
"Paddy
O'Reilly's impressive first novel wrings a deep
tension out of a long-unexplained gap between
the situations of the student and the prisoner...
Hilda becomes caught in the story she had set
out to capture."
-
Michael McGirr, Sydney Morning Herald.
"It
satisfied and challenged intellectually and touched
the heart without resorting to mawkish sentiment.
[It] made the reader consider their existence
and the human condition and you can't do much
more than that."
- Robert Drewe, commenting on one of Paddy's stories
which is set in the near future.
"Its
limpid prose conjures...with a wonderful lightness
and sureness of touch."
-
Michelle de Krester, commenting on Paddy's winning
entry for The Age Short Story Competition. |
