Tag Archives: First Story

Call for Readers: February Flashers’ Club

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Cheltenham’s Flashers’ Club seeks flash fiction fans for the first event of 2018!

On Thursday February 8th we’ll be hosting our usual open mic (bring your 100-1000 word story and sign up on the night), plus guest reading by multi-talented flash fic author Tania Hershman.

We’ll be at Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar from 7:30pm. Tickets are available on the door: £3 for readers, £4 for audience only. As always, all profits go to the charity First Story. Find full details at the Flashers’ Club site, and don’t miss it!

Flashers’ Club May, and news about August

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The third meeting of Cheltenham’s Flashers’ Club took place on the 2nd of May, and showcased some seriously good writing. Ten readers signed up on the night and surprised us with ten new stories featuring everything from amiable jocks to black holes. Take a look at our blog to read more about the night!

Free lit was provided by Open Pen, who generously donated us enough copies to reward each of our bold readers.

Ticket sales, plus a kind donation from the University of Gloucestershire, meant we were able to donate £69 to First Story.

There was no guest reader for this session, but we have some very exciting names lined up for the future. The next Flashers’ Club, on Thursday 3rd August, will host Jane Bailey. Jane is the author of five novels and a book of comic verse, and is also writer-in-residence for Cheltenham Festivals First Story, which promotes creative writing in schools serving low-income communities. There’ll be the usual open mic session with ten slots up for grabs, some fab free lit, and a chance to hear Jane read some of her short fiction. Tickets are just £3! Find full details on our website, or follow us on Twitter @flashers_club.

Calling All Flashers – February Flashers’ Club

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Flashers Assemble! The second meeting of Cheltenham’s Flashers’ Club is on Thursday 9th February at Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar, and we’ve got good things in store.

There’s an open mic session for ten writers to read stories of 100-1000 words: no genre restriction, no submissions, no CV required. Just sign up on the night. Need encouragement?  Our freebies this month are provided by Prole Books, so each of our readers will receive a copy of the litmag Prole.

This time we’re also featuring a brilliant guest writer, award-winning author Tyler Keevil. Tyler will be capping off our open mic by reading some of his work, and we’re very excited about it.

Tickets are £3 on the door, £2.50 (inc. booking fee) in advance. Click here to book. As always, all proceeds go to the charity First Story.

For lots more information, contact details etc, see our website.

See you there!

 

Don’t miss First Story’s National Writing Competition!

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first-story-footprints-2016

Competition closes 23 November

Students and teachers: don’t miss First Story’s National Writing Competition for state secondary schools!

There’s not long left to write 850 words on the theme ‘Footprints’ – you must get your entries to us by midnight, Wednesday 23rd November.

Short stories are welcome – but any form of writing is accepted. Flash fiction, poetry, drama: follow the theme wherever it leads you.

If you’re a young writer, or teach someone who is, don’t miss the chance to win an incredible Arvon residential writing course, and see your work in print in our professional anthology. Teachers can write alongside their students and enter too.

The amazing Mark Haddon, Juno Dawson and Salena Godden are the writers judging this year’s competition, which will be shortlisted by Penguin Random House.

Good luck, happy writing, and make sure you get your entries to us by November 23rd!

Find out more and enter at www.firststory.org.uk/footprints

First Story National Writing Competition for schools

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first-story-footprints-2016

Calling all state secondary school students and teachers: write 850 words on ‘Footprints’ for a chance to win an Arvon writing course!

First Story’s National Writing Competition is now open, and they need your 850 words by November 23rd 2016.

Short stories, flash fiction, poetry, drama: any form is welcome.

Schools get students writing and pick their top three pieces to send to First Story by November 23rd. Teachers can enter too!

The competition will be shortlisted by Penguin Random House, and Mark Haddon (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time) leads a judging panel of brilliant writers. First prize is a place on an Arvon residential creative writing course for the winning student, three of their friends and a teacher. Shortlisted students see their words in print in the professionally published competition anthology, and celebrated at a prestigious prize-giving ceremony in 2017.

Find out more at www.firststory.org.uk/footsteps

 

 

Flashers’ Club open mic flash fiction night, 10th November, Cheltenham

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Flashers Club will be holding its inaugural open mic night on Thursday 10th November, 7:30-11:00pm, at Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar, Cheltenham. The mic is open to all writers of short fiction between 300 and 1,000 words. It’s open genre. Published or unpublished, old hand or debut, everyone’s welcome. We aim to be friendly and inclusive, and have a good time! Come along to read, or to hear exciting original writing.

There’ll be around 8 slots for readers, maybe more if time and story length allow. Names will be drawn from a hat if there are more readers than time. After each story we’ll have a short time for Q and A – not a critique, just a chat.

You can book tickets in advance or come along on the night. There’s a small entry fee (£2 + booking fee online, £3 on the door), all of which goes to the charity First Story. First Story places professional writers into schools in deprived areas to encourage children to write.

For lots more details, booking link and FAQs, see our website: www.flashersclub.wordpress.com. You can also find us on Twitter @flashers_club, or on Facebook /flashersclubcheltenham . We’d love to hear from you!