THURSDAY 18 AUGUST, 11am – 8 pm, DUBRAY BOOKS, GRAFTON STREET

Paul Howard (aka Ross O’Carroll Kelly), Liz Nugent, Mark Pollock, Vanessa Ronan, Noel Rock, TD, and Laureate na nÓg PJ Lynch will be among 50 readers raising funds for child and adult refugees in Calais on Thursday 18th August with a nine-hour continuous reading in the window of Grafton Street’s Dubray book shop.

Also scheduled to appear are Louise Kennedy , Rosita Sweetman, and Lauren Foley; playwright Gavin Kostick and Fair City scriptwriter Kevin McGee; young adult author Brian Conaghan ; poets Colm Keegan , Katie Donovan and Angela Carr; journalists Aoife Carrigy and Sam Tranum; actors Aisling O’Sullivan , Una Kavanagh and Eleanor Methven; and Dublin Youth Theatre. The Crocosmia writing [and gardening] collective in the Direct Provision system will also be taking part, along with a few great kids and some (extra) ordinary book loving Joes.

Fundraising is being carried out in association with the Irish Refugee Council , and will help child and adult refugees at the L’École Laïque du Chemin des Dunes in Calais . Collectors will be present on the day and donations can also be made at www.ifundraise.ie/elcd until 31st August.

Each reader will read a tenminute extract on the subject of travel: ancient odysseys, fantasies, seafaring epics, solo adventures, tales of displacement, of close escapes, of language barriers and cultural encounters, of strange and wonderful beasts and new beginnings in foreign lands.

Organiser Fiona McHardy , who teaches French at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, said, “I was meant to be teaching at the school this summer, but circumstances forced me to change my plans, so I’m organising this instead. I wanted to do something interesting, that didn’t generate waste and that would create awareness of the situation. We’re currently witnessing a heartbreaking refugee crisis, which has seen people of all ages displaced, at risk, without a home and without security. I know so many people want to help – and we’re so grateful that this fantastic group of readers has assembled to raise money through ‘Odyssey’. The theme of ‘travel’ chimed well with the event because it’s so rich and evocative and, in this fraught context, so tragically loaded.”

Maria Dickenson, MD at Dubray , said, “We are delighted to help raise funds for such an important project. Communication is key to survival for refugees, and that the money is being raised via the spoken word is very fitting. ‘Odyssey’ will prove to be a very powerful and moving event.”

TO DONATE: The fundraising is being carried out in association with the Irish Refugee Council. Collectors will be present on the day and donations can also be made at www.ifundraise.ie/elcd until 31st August.