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Sarah Maria Griffin

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Sarah Maria Griffin (born 1988[1]) is an Irish writer and poet, podcaster, and producer of zines. She is the author of a volume each of poetry and essays, and three novels.

Major works and reception

Griffin's first novel, Spare and Found Parts, is a dystopian science fiction work for young adults. It is set in the aftermath of a machine apocalypse called "the Turn", in "Black Water City", a remnant of Dublin, so named from one of the two Irish-language names for the city, in turn derived from the River Poddle. In an Ireland where only a tiny fraction of the pre-apocalyptic population survives, without information technology, there is a division of survivors between urban "Pale" and rural "Pasture". The protaganist, Nell Crane, is the daughter of two key figures in the city, the life of which partly revolves around sourcing and fitting of body parts; she herself has a mechanical heart. The novel was reviewed widely, including by the Irish Times, and nominated for prizes.[2] The story has LGBTQIA+ elements, woven in without emphasis, as noted by leading review journal, Kirkus, which concluded that the book is a "page-turning whole".[3]

Her second novel, Other Words for Smoke, is a young adult novel of the fantastic, which won Teen and YA Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in 2019. It is set in a fictional location near Dublin, with witches and a house which is more than it appears. The book was reviewed positively by Locus Magazine.[4] The book, which has lesbian characters in key roles,[5] was listed on a US "rainbow books" list.[6] Griffin's third novel, The Book of Wisdom, a work of fantasy set in a library, was commissioned for Tomorrowland, one of the largest music festivals in the world, with around 200,000 copies of the book distributed to those booking festival tickets. It features two young protagonists, from Raheny and San Francisco, and was issued in a case with inserted objects and a "hidden compartment" for recipients' festival access bracelets.[7]

Griffin has mentioned Maeve Binchy as a major influence, on her work with dialogue and character, and pace,[8] as well as Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).[9]

Bibliography

Books

  • Follies (as author; Belfast: Lapwing, 2011), collection of poetry and "flash prose"[10]
  • Not Lost: A Story About Leaving Home (as author; Dublin: New Island, 2013, ISBN 9781848403024, also on Kindle), essay collection[11]
  • Spare and Found Parts (as author; New York: Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2016, ISBN 9780062408884/ISBN 9781441742087 / London: Titan Books, 2018, novel[12]
  • Other Words for Smoke (as author; New York: Greenwillow, April 2019 and London: Titan Books, 2019, ISBN 9781789090086/ISBN 9781789090093), novel[13]
  • The Book of Wisdom (as author; Boom, Antwerp, Belgium: Tomorrowland, and New York: Melcher Media, 2019, ISBN 9781595911025, novel, issued to circa 200,000 festival subscribers)

Edited

  • Bare Hands Anthology (as co-editor; Dublin and San Francisco: Bare Hands, 2012, no ISBN), a print collection from an online poetry journal with photography[14][15]

Contributed

  • Red lamp, black piano: a Cáca Milis Cabaret anthology (as contributor; Dublin: Tara Press, 2013, ISBN 9780954562045)
  • Titan Tasters: 10 Tempting Morsels from 2019-2020 (as contributor; London: Titan Books, 2019, special for Worldcon 2019)
  • Deep Routes Poetry Exchange (mentor and afterword writer; Wexford: Ardara Press, 2021, no ISBN)[16]

References and sources

  1. ^ Leonard, Sue (25 January 2014). "Sarah Maria Griffin". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  2. ^ Gilmartin, Sarah (24 September 2016). "Spare and Found Parts review: adventures in a post-apocalyptic Dublin". Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  3. ^ Spare and Found Parts (Sarah Maria Griffin) - Kirkus Review
  4. ^ Mondor, Colleen (4 October 2019). "Review of 'Other Words for Smoke' by Sarah Maria Griffin". Locus (Locus Online). Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  5. ^ Other Words for Smoke
  6. ^ "The 2020 Rainbow Book List". Rainbow Book List. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  7. ^ Freyne, Patrick (22 July 2019). "Tomorrowland: 'I can't believe my life'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  8. ^ "I am frustrated to have come to her work so late". Irish Independent. Mediahuis plc. 9 July 2022.
  9. ^ Freyne, Patrick (22 July 2019). "Tomorrowland: 'I can't believe my life'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  10. ^ Griffin, Sarah Maria (2010). Follies. Belfast: Lapwing Publications. ISBN 9781907276699. OCLC 753639790.
  11. ^ Griffin, Sarah Maria. Not lost : a story about leaving home. Dublin. ISBN 9781848403031. OCLC 1003317174.
  12. ^ Griffin, Sarah Maria, Spare and found parts, ISBN 9781441742087, OCLC 1000301871
  13. ^ Griffin, Sarah Maria (12 March 2019). Other words for smoke (First ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 9780062408914. OCLC 1040530861.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  14. ^ Andrews, Kernan (29 November 2012). "Poetry - in print and audio". Galway Advertiser. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  15. ^ Bare Hands Anthology Available Now, retrieved 15 March 2023
  16. ^ "Unearthing the poetic in the prosaic". Deep Routes Poetry Exchange (official site). 7 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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