Caoilinn Hughes: ‘My best ever investment? Contraception! Not having children buys you writing time’

Her debut novel, Orchid & the Wasp, won the Collyer Bristow Prize in 2019. Hughes clinched prize money of £10,000 (€11,700) in 2021 when her second book, The Wild Laughter, won the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award.

As part of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Hughes will discuss her latest novel, The Alternatives, on a special live edition of The Stinging Fly podcast on April 28. The Alternatives tells the story of four brilliant Irish sisters, orphaned in childhood, who scramble to reconnect when the oldest disappears into the Irish countryside.

Hughes is currently a Cullman Centre Fellow at New York Public Library.

What did you learn about money from your family while growing up?

Money wasn’t talked about much when I was a child, as far as I can recall. But I was quite conscious of it, because I was making pottery things to sell in the market aged 10, and I remember the goal being to have some money of my own.

Aged 11 – once I’d saved from many weekends selling painted candlestick holders – what I decided to spend every penny on before Christmas was a Power Rangers’ glove that sang the theme tune and cost IR£47. Then in the January sales, I saw it on sale for IR£9.

Hard and fast, I fell out of love with money in a toy shop.

When were you most broke?

2020. It was the least I’d earned since finishing university.

How did you spend your literary prize money?

On ceiling leaks and dental bills and Old Fashioneds.

Have you been affected by the housing crisis?

I’ve never quite managed to buy a house in Ireland. Dublin rental prices are impossible for artists – I’ve found London to be cheaper!

The practical outcome of this is that you can’t choose where you want to live. The knock-on effects on community and opportunity for artists are huge.

What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever been to?

Tokyo, Bergen and Sydney are the costliest cities I’ve been to. But the most expensive place? A New York City hospital.

Do you still carry cash?

I usually have one note with me, for emergencies.

What was your biggest ever financial mistake?

Reading books, which led to my wanting to become a writer!

Have you ever had to supplement your writing with other jobs?

Early on, I supplemented my writing by working office jobs, for example at Google, and saving to buy myself a few months of writing time. That can work, as long as you don’t have children and you’re willing to have flatmates.

Lately, I’ve supplemented my income by teaching at universities.

I’m keen to try something new, once I’ve finished a fellowship I’m doing at New York Public Library, which has bailed me out this year. It’s a year-to-year choreography.

What was your best ever investment?

Contraception!

Are you a spender or a saver?

A saver.

What’s the most expensive thing you have ever bought?

Half of an apartment in the Netherlands, where my long-distance partner works and lives. I rent.

Do you have a pension?

No. But I’m crossing my fingers that there’ll be a sudden pivot towards socialism and UBI (Universal Basic Income) by the time I’ve reached retirement age – whatever that age will be by then.​​ ​