Book Projects

At Fighting Words, we regularly produce anthologies of students’ work and other publications. Proceeds from the sale of all our books help support our free writing programmes .

Books by Young Authors: The Fighting Words Book Project
Each year, Fighting Words welcomes a class of Transition Year students to work on short stories that are published in May. They draft, re-draft, edit and complete the stories with encouragement from Fighting Words volunteer tutors. The class choose the title of the book and work with a designer on the cover.
The students also organise the launch of the book in their school as well as managing all the publicity. Details about our books are below – each collection is unique and hugely enjoyable

Beyond Boundaries

Beyond Boundaries was launched on Wednesday 16th May 2018.

Twenty four transition year students from Manor House School, Raheny have been visiting Fighting Words each Tuesday, since September, to work on their short stories.

They drafted, redrafted, edited and completed the stories with encouragement from Fighting Words volunteers. After a lot of discussion they decided on the title of the book and worked with a designer on the cover, which was inspired by a drawing by one of the writers.

What's the Stories?

What's the Stories was launched on Wednsday 17th May 2017.

Nineteen transition year students from the school have been visiting Fighting Words each Thursday, since September, to work on their short stories.

They drafted, redrafted, edited and completed the stories with encouragement from Fighting Words volunteers.

They chose the title of the book and worked with a designer on the cover.

25 Stories High

25 Stories High was launched on Tuesday 17th May 2016.

Twenty five transition year students from the school have been visiting Fighting Words each Thursday, since September, to work on their short stories.

They drafted, redrafted, edited and completed the stories with encouragement from Fighting Words volunteers.

Brain Storms

Launched: 18th May 2015

The 2015 Book Project: Written by transition year students at CBC Monkstown Park with a foreword by Kevin Barry.

“Mature writers are often embarrassed by their juvenilia, but if these boys from CBC Monkstown go on to become writers, they are not likely to feel that way.” Irish Times.

Long Story Short

Launched 26th May 2014

The 2014 Book Project: written by transition year students from Donabate Community College with a foreword by Paul Murray.

"The stories in this collection are very different, exhilaratingly so. But they all share what you might call an unflinching quality, a determination to tell their own story in their own way." Paul Murray, from the introduction to the anthology.

Blank Pages

Launched 20th May 2013

“Written language is once more the supreme mode of communication, of conversation, of reference, of record and of learning... Language is safe and well in the hands of these young writers.” John Banville – Introduction

Blank Pages.. was launched at St Mary’s Holy Faith Secondary School, Killester on Monday 20th May 2013. The authors were joined by family and friends at the event.

Yet To Be Told

Launched 28th May 2012

The 2012 Book Project: written by transition year students from Mount Carmel Secondary School with a foreword by Maeve Binchy.

‘I would love to know what I was thinking about over half a century ago when I was at school. If we had been encouraged to write short stories, which we certainly were not, I wonder what I would have written about.’ Maeve Binchy – Introduction

Lost in Transition

Launched 2nd June 2011

The 2011 Book Project: written by transition year students from Scoil Chaitríona, Glasnevin with a foreword by Anne Enright.

“The problem of loving people is on every page of this collection and it is tackled head on, with wit, inventiveness and great courage. This is important work.” Anne Enright from the Introduction

Fighting Tuesdays

Launched 25th May 2010

The 2010 Book Project: written by transition year students from Larkin Community College, with a foreword by Roddy Doyle and introduction by Hugo Hamilton.

"The stories in this book all have a real punch because they are all written from the heart. They are the honest view of life from the inside, written by a group of Dublin students who are describing the world as it is today." Hugo Hamilton