Deadline Day is Coming! London Independent Story Prize

Just a few days left until the Deadline! 10th of January!

Polish those 300-word short-short stories and take your chance. Become a part of this wonderful community of writers and storytellers. Take the chance of winning the prize! Give your story a chance to be recognised.

Check out the 2018 Calendar from here LISP.

LISP judges are looking for strong and unique voices, check out the interviews with the judges on the website.

‘Originality must come from other resources: from one’s own voice, personality, character.’ Luis Pizarro, LISP judge.

‘Given that the story can only be 300 words, I am looking for something beyond the ephemeral, a story that will make an impression.’ James Kirchick, LISP judge.

‘LISP is based on creating a great community and, of course, all the writers who attend the competition will definitely be a part of this network. However, winners are winners, and they will have the greatest advantage. First of all, the prize and publication, and when you win a competition, it means that your pen has been recognised, which is a great feature for any writer. Not only while trying to reach agents or publishers, but also the personal satisfaction is priceless. Especially for young writers, it’s a way to build confidence.

As an award winner, I can also say that it helps you to improve. Now you see that you can write things that others appreciate as well, which encourages you to be even bolder.’ Ozge Gozturk, LISP founder.

A Very Topical Story

Read Paper Republic hasn’t posted on Short Stops for a while, but we’ve haven’t stopped publishing our weekly short stories translated from the best of contemporary Chinese fiction. I hope you’ve managed to catch some – there’s something there for all tastes.

Well, today’s a bit of a red-letter day. At the beginning of the week, the Chinese government announced the ending of its One-Child-Per-Family policy. At the same time, a talented young woman writer called LU Min wrote a thought-provoking, and thoughtful, story about her own family’s experiences during the years when the policy was at its most draconian. We’ve translated it and posted it here: https://paper-republic.org/pubs/read/a-second-pregnancy-1980/ . Here’s how Lu Min begins: ‘We often tease my little sister – “Your life’s worth 56 yuan” – so many years have passed that we no longer feel the pain, and we can see a funny side to it.’

Read, and enjoy.

A Second Pregnancy-LuMin-HWang: