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The Dublin Writers Festival starts next Monday and runs for seven days. If there was only one event a day that you could get to, what should they be? Here are my choices:

I hope you can make the below out – it’s a screenshot from the official programme (that you can download here) with a run through of what’s happening each day.

Tickets for most events are €12 / €10 / €8 or cheaper with the exceptions being the already sold out Richard Dawkins talk at the National Concert Hall and the events in the Gate Theatre.

I’ve attended / volunteered / worked with the Dublin Writers Festival (Facebook / Twitter) for four years now and it’s always an interesting event.

You don’t need to be very literary, just have an interest in books and in the process of writing. No one is going to test you on how much you don’t know. Otherwise I’d never get in the door!

Here are my choices for the week – one event per day only.

Monday – Josh Ritter with Sinead Gleeson – Liberty Hall – 3pm – €12

I do love a bit of Ritter’s music (Snow is Gone was constantly in my ears for about a year) and his new novel is garnering great praise in the US. Details of the event are here.

Tuesday – Richard Dawkins with William Crawley – NCH – 8pm – €20

There’s not much I can add to this event – it sold out pretty quickly and promises to be one of the most interesting events at the entire Festival. Event details are here.

Wednesday – Alain de Botton – Liberty Hall – 8pm – €12

Similar to the Dawkins event, this promises to be an interesting one, especially given his approach to the subject – acceptance rather than rejection. Full event details here.

Thursday – An Evening with Mike Scott – Liberty Hall – 8.30pm – €12

This is probably the event of the Festival for me – I’m a big fan of Mike personally and of the Waterboys music. He’s a Yeats scholar, a poet, a mystic and a rock and roll star. His conversation with Jim Carroll is an unmissable event for any fans. Details over here.

Friday – James Fearnley (the Pogues) – Liberty Hall – 8pm – €12

I don’t know why I didn’t know that the Pogues had split up in 1991, just seven years after they first emerged. I expect to hear more about this – and the hard and fast lives they all led – at this event. I’m hoping there might be a tune or two too. Event details here.

Saturday – Creative Writing Workshop at Fighting Words – 10am to 4pm

A great opportunity to see the facilities that Fighting Words have and for children to write and help create a personalised book. Booking is essential – details here.

Sunday – Jeanette Winterson – Gate Theatre – 8pm – €15

When I met festival director Sinead Connolly to talk about the Festival, she was most effusive in her enthusiasm for this event. Jeanette Winterson’s new book “Why be happy when you can be normal?” will surely provoke strong reaction. Details here.

The lovely folk over at the Gutter Book Shop, Temple Bar are running events too and have all the books from the writers in the Festival.

The Dublin Writers Festival website is at http://www.dublinwritersfestival.com