2 minutes with… Youth Curator JP Curran

Earlier this year, Dublin Book Festival put out a call for a Youth Curator to come on board and curate a number of events aimed at audiences aged 18 – 24. The response was huge, with so much creative energy out there, and we were delighted to catch up with this year’s selected Youth Curator, JP Curran, to find out more.

Can you tell us about your own love of books and reading growing up?

I can only ever remember being really into books, I don’t really know how it happened. I suppose I owe a lot to my family, they really nurtured my love of reading. Reading Catch-22 when I was a teenager was a real epiphany in terms of what literature can do and say.

What sparked your interest in applying for our inaugural Youth Curator initiative?

The money, hahaha. Ah no, there aren’t enough opportunities to do good work in the arts so it’s great to find one. I’m extremely passionate about culture and promoting local culture, and this initiative really lets me do that – it’s good for the soul.

What was most important for you when thinking about curating events aimed at 18 – 24 year olds?

I suppose the number 1 thing is thinking about what engages young people and going off that. As well I think that getting guests in that are relatable in terms of ages and experiences is quite important. If people can walk away from these events inspired to create, or more interested and excited about local art and culture then it’s a massive success.

Tell us another event, apart from your own two, that you are looking forward to on this year’s programme.

“The Art of the Short Story” intrigues me, but what really leaps out at me is “If America sneezes, does Ireland catch a cold? ”  – great panel, and a topic that is really prescient. I imagine I’d find myself agreeing with many of the thoughts presented.

JP curated two great events for us this year.

Young Ireland’s Musicians see’s exciting emerging artists Pippa Molony and Ahmed, With Love talking all things songwriting and creativity with journalist and podcaster Dylan Murphy (Wed 4 Nov, 8pm, Bartley’s Lounge at The Grafton. Limited tickets remain)

At Spoken Word for New, writer Daragh Fleming will be hosting an open mic night for young voices, and between performances he’ll be exploring what spoken word has to offer as a creative outlet (Thu 5 Nov, 8pm, Bartley’s Lounge at The Grafton Hotel. Audience booked out with limited performance slots remaining)

This initiative was supported by the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Small Grant Scheme.