Luke Cassidy is a writer from Dundalk, Co. Louth. He is author of Iron Annie (Bloomsbury Books 2021/Vintage Books USA 2022), which has just been shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious award for first-time novelists from the UK or Ireland. Like his other published work, A Good Turn (New Island, 2021), Iron Annie is deeply imbued with the sensibility of the border region. Luke adapted Iron Annie into a play, which he toured 12 venues last year, including the Garage Theatre, and will play in Dublin, Edinburgh and Belfast during the summer of 2022. He has recently completed his second novel & in Autumn of this year, with the support of the Arts Council, he will develop a new performance project titled Improvised Landscapes, with violinist & composer Molly O’Shea. He is also working on a play to mark the thirty-year anniversary of the Garage Theatre.