SHORT STORY FESTIVAL, SATURDAY 30th JUNE 2018, 10.30 AM – 6 PM

LCB Depot, Rutland St, Leicester, LE1 1RE

Join us for a wonderful celebration of all things small and wonderful as part of this year’s Leicester Writes Festival. The day will kick off with a two-hour workshop on writing and editing short stories with writers, Divya Ghelani and Rupert Dastur. The afternoon will be packed with author talks: award winning writers Rebecca Burns and CG Menon will be sharing their experiences of putting their short story collection together, and Jon McGregor and Alison Moore will be in conversation with Mahsuda Snaith to discuss taking the leap from writing short stories to novels. The evening will end in style with our Leicester Writes Short Story Prize anthology launch, where we will be celebrating the talents of this year’s longlist.

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – ‘The Art of the Short Story’ Workshop

ln this session, Divya Ghelani will introduce and discuss several prizewinning short stories to assess short fiction techniques that are classic as well as experimental. She’ll cover aspects of character, voice, language, and intrigue within the short story form. This workshop is perfect for anyone looking to understand how the short form works and wants to write a successful short story. This session will include a number of writing exercises.

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – Short fiction: An Editor’s Perspective

How do editors assess short fiction submissions? What are they looking for from short stories and flash fiction?

In this session, Rupert Dastur, senior editor at The Short Story will discuss what he likes and doesn’t like to see from manuscripts. He will offer an insight into how writers can edit their stories so they are ready for publication and offer suggestions on how to manage submissions. Rupert will also share his ultimate list of who to follow and what to read so you can learn from the best. With useful tips and tricks, this session is a must for anyone looking to build their career as a writer.

1:30 – 2:30 PM – How to Publish a Short Story Collection

Join Dahlia Publishing editor, Farhana Shaikh and award winning short story writers, Rebecca Burns and CG Menon as they discuss the process of putting together a short story collection. This session will discuss the publishing process as well as how writers select, organise and write short stories for a collection. Featuring readings with both authors and a book signing.

3 PM – 4 PM In Transit: From short stories to novels

How do writers transition from writing short stories to writing a novel? What skills do they develop in the process and what is it really like to work across forms? In this session, writers share their experiences of starting their careers by writing short stories before turning their hand to novel writing.

Featuring readings from award winning writer, Jon McGregor and Man Booker prize shortlisted, Alison Moore. Chaired by debut novelist and award winning short story writer, Mahsuda Snaith.

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Leicester Writes Short Story Prize Anthology Launch

Join us to celebrate this year’s winning short stories in our prize giving ceremony and anthology launch. With readings from some of this year’s winners. Leicester Writes Short Story Prize was launched in 2017 to celebrate original short story writing. The judging panel included writers Rebecca Burns, Jon McGregor and last year’s first prize winner, CG Menon.

Tickets: Purchase your all-day festival ticket for just £20, workshops are included in the price.

To book your ticket please visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/leicester-writes-short-story-festival-tickets-45782026273

For more information please contact Farhana on f.shaikh@dahliapublishing.co.uk