Marian Keyes and the Politics of Commercial Fiction Marian Keyes, Maria Butler and Vicki Notaro in conversation with Aoife Barry

Marian Keyes is one of Ireland’s most important fiction authors. Her novels are filled with charm, wit, and pathos, yet her girly packaging and light-hearted marketing resulted in far too little critical attention and celebration. Join authors Marian Keyes, Vicki Notaro and author of Marian Keyes and the Politics of Commercial Fiction (UCD Press), Maria Butler, as they discuss the politics of women’s commercial fiction. They hope to challenge the existing narrative on Keyes and other writers, and open a window into their extraordinary writings for future readers. The authors join journalist and author Aoife Barry in conversation.

Marian Keyes by Dean Chalkley

Marian Keyes is the multi-million copy, internationally bestselling author of some of the most widely loved genre-defying novels of the past thirty years – such as Rachel’s Holiday, Anybody Out There and Grown Ups – and has millions of fans around the world. They are irresistibly drawn by her warmth and wit, fearless honesty, relatable characters and relationships, and sheer storytelling magic. Not only has Marian inspired and entertained countless readers, but also the next generation of writers too. In 2022, she was named the British Book Awards Author of the Year. As a beloved author herself, Marian is a passionate champion of storytellers everywhere, playing an active role in encouraging new voices. She has been the chair of judges for the Comedy Women in Print prize, a sponsor of the Curtis Brown Creative Marian Keyes scholarship, and ran her own hugely popular Instagram Live series bringing free creative writing courses to thousands of viewers. Marian also uses her position to raise some of the most challenging issues of our time, including addiction, immigration, depression, domestic violence and the Repeal the Eighth campaign. Her books about the Walsh Sisters have recently been adapted for television by RTE and the BBC, and Grown Ups is being filmed by Netflix. Marian co-hosted the popular shows Between Ourselves and Now You’re Asking with actress Tara Flynn for BBC Radio 4. Both critically acclaimed and commercially unstoppable, Marian’s sixteenth novel My Favourite Mistake went straight to No.1 in hardback and paperback in four global territories: UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and, read by Marian, won the British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year. Marian lives in Dublin.

Maria Butler is a postdoctoral researcher on the SFI Insight Gender, Culture, and Data project at University College Dublin. She has authored several articles about Marian Keyes, commercial fiction, and the political benefits of the genre for RTÉ Brainstorm. She also has several peer-reviewed journal articles which are due to be published in The Irish University Review, Contemporary Women’s Writing, and The Journal of Popular Romance this year.

Vicki Notaro is the Irish Times best-selling author of Anywhere But Here, Reality Check and Long Story. A former newspaper journalist and glossy magazine editor, she made the transition to novelist in 2023 after seventeen years writing for media outlets in Ireland and the UK. Vicki also hosts You Had Me At Hello, a podcast where she interviews celebrities about their favourite romantic comedies. She lives in Stoneybatter, Dublin, with her husband Joe and their elderly terrier, Jacko. 

© Bríd O’Donovan

Aoife Barry is a writer, freelance arts journalist and weekly columnist for the Sunday Times. Her 2023 book on social media, Social Capital (HarperCollins Ireland) was nominated for an Irish Book Award. She has had bylines across various publications including the Irish Times, the Irish Independent, Tatler, The Journal and Irish Examiner. She features regularly on RTÉ Radio One and Today FM and her essays and fiction have been published by ROPES journal and Banshee, and broadcast on Sunday Miscellany. Alongside fellow journalist Lauren Murphy she co-presents the arts and culture podcast Get Around To It.  

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