Tag Archives: short story event

Stroud Short Stories is open for submissions for its 20 May event

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Stroud Short Stories is open for submissions for the 20 May event – our 16th event. Submissions will close at the end of Saturday 14 April. It’s an open theme this time. As ever it’s free to submit and we accept both published and unpublished stories from Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire writers. Ten authors will read their work in front of a capacity audience of 70 short story lovers on Sunday 20 May at the SVA in John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA.

We will also be publishing a second anthology later this year and all ten writers will be invited to have their story published in it.

All the info you need is on our website/blog – https://stroudshortstories.blogspot.co.uk/

 

 



Small Wonder Festival at Charleston

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Small Wonder Festival, Charleston’s annual celebration of short fiction, will take place between 27 September and 1 October 2017. The variety of this year’s programme confirms that although the texts may be compressed, the short form may contain a multitude of subjects, tones and styles. Short stories offer glimpses into the human condition and linger on in the mind, despite, even because of, their brevity and restraint. Don’t miss the shared experience of listening to and telling stories in the atmospheric tents at Small Wonder. During the festival you can listen to engaging speakers, take part in workshops and much more…

The festival kicks off on Wednesday 27 September with ‘Let Me Count the Ways’, an exploration of love in its many contexts and guises. Groundbreaking young writers Rowan Hisayo Buchanan and Gwendoline Riley will discuss their work with journalist Arifa Akbar.

let me count the ways

On Thursday 28 September we explore the challenges and advantages of the short story form in our event ‘Novella Perfection’. Novella enthusiasts and practitioners Cynan Jones and Megan Hunter will be in conversation with Alex Clark. “I believe the novella is the perfect form of prose fiction.” – Ian McEwan.

Unmissable on Saturday 30 September is ‘Welcome to the Caribbean’, with Jamaican writer Olive Senior, Trinidadian Anthony Joseph and Bahamian Helen Klonaris (British Council International Writer in Residence at Small Wonder 2017).
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A final highlight for any budding writers will be ‘Hitting the Ground Running’ on Sunday 1 October. This event promises a fascinating look at how to begin a career in writing short fiction, with debut authors Julianne Pachico and Jessie Greengrass speaking alongside agent Clare Alexander and publisher Mark Richards. Perfect for aspiring authors, those interested in the publishing process or short fiction fans, it will include an extended Q&A.

Visit the Small Wonder website for more information and many more events: https://www.charleston.org.uk/small-wonder/. Or join in the conversation on social media: #SmallWonderFest.

 

 

Flashers’ Club I

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The inaugural meeting of Flashers’ Club  was on Thursday 10th November, and we’re happy to say it was a great success. Thirteen writers read fifteen stories, taking us from the Old West to Afghanistan, from married bliss to the trials of being a modern Nosferatu. Head over to our blog to see lots more details and pictures.

With over thirty tickets sold, we raised nearly £80 for the charity First Story. As part of their thanks they’ve sent us a very special poem composed by one of their students, which you can also find on our blog.

Flashers’ Club will now be a quarterly event. Our next meet will be on Thursday 9th February 2017, 7:30pm onwards, Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar, Cheltenham. There’ll be advance booking available online nearer to the date, and door tickets available on the night. We’ve already got our next lot of free literature sorted (we like to bribe our readers with free books and litmags), and we’re working on a rather exciting guest writer slot. Watch this space.

 

 

 

Live Spoken Word Flash Fiction Event at Monk’s House

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On the 2nd of September, Writers’ HQ are running a special evening of flash fiction, Moments of Being, at Monk’s House – the beautiful home of Virginia Woolf in Rodmell, East Sussex.

Bring along a story to read at this brand new spoken word event or simply come along to enjoy some fantastic short fiction and meet local authors!

Fri 2nd September: Moments of Being – Live Flash Fiction Event

Moments of Being is a brand new spoken word event hosted by Monk’s House, the home of Virginia Woolf in Rodmell – a literary evening full of bite-sized ‘moments‘ of fiction read aloud by the authors themselves.

Come, fine writers, pull your brave pants right up to your chin and read your words aloud to a room full of expectant ears. We want to hear your story…

Here’s how it works:

  • Bring along a story (no more than 1000 words please).
  • Put your name in the fiction hat and cross your fingers tightly.
  • If you’re picked, leap on stage with verve and pizazz, fill the brains of the audience with the sound of your story and then field their questions and feedback like a true pro. Be rewarded for your efforts with a free beverage.
  • If you’re not picked, then simply enjoy a relaxing evening of original literature, applaud wildly, and put your questions to the chosen authors.

And if you don’t fancy reading, then simply come along to listen to eight stories by eight fabulous writers, quiz them on their methods, techniques and inspiration, and enjoy an intimate evening of literary brilliance at the home of Virginia Woolf.

Booking essential. Visit Writers’ HQ for more details. 

NEW Six Week Online Short Fiction Course from Writers’ HQ

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Writers’ HQ are launching a brand new six-week online short fiction course for writers who are tight on time and money (so… all of us then!) – starting 26th September, 2016.

Short stories have been here since the dawn of frickin’ time. Based in the oral tradition (stop sniggering at the back), they’re the apocryphal family legends our grandmas/weird uncle used to tell us over Christmas dinner; they’re the school-yard urban myths; the sleepover ghost stories; the soliloquies in our diaries; the wine-soaked rants to that random person you cornered in the kitchen at that party after so-and-so dumped you. Short stories are all around us. <cue X-Files theme>

But super short stories are not super easy for writers. In fact, the shorter your story becomes, the harder it is to distill what really matters onto the page. I would have written a shorter letter, so the famous quote goes, but I didn’t have the time…

The energetic, irreverent, slightly bonkers team at Writers’ HQ will help you come up with ideas, hone them into perfectly formed nuggets of fiction and build the confidence to send them out into the world. Spend six weeks developing your short fiction skills with the support of a thriving online community, top tips from award winning authors, inspiring writing exercises, and procrastination-busting tools and techniques.

And, due to funding from the fantastic Arts Council England, Writers’ HQ are able to offer this great course at the low price of £130. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, why not enter their competition to win a fully-subsidised place on all five of their new online courses? Click here for more info.

And if that wasn’t enough, the first 25 people to book will also receive free membership to 750 Words – a fantastic productivity app that will get you writing every day! What more could you ask for (aside from someone to write the darn thing for you)?

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Oh wait, that’s not all.

If you’re based in Sussex and fancy spending a morning at the beautiful National Trust property Monk’s House (historic home of Virginia Woolf and haunt of the Bloomsbury Group) writing and reading flash fiction, come along to the Fiction in a Flash workshop on the 20th of August.

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If you fancy streamlining your writing down into bite-size chunks, or have always wanted to write a short story but didn’t know where to start, flash fiction is your answer! This two hour workshop covers everything you need to know to get you flashing like a – err, no never mind – to get you writing confident, impactful flash. At the beautiful, inspiring Monk’s House, home to Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group, we’ll cover the basics of form and structure, show you how to make characters come to life in just a handful of words, and experiment with prompts to get your flashy juices flowing.

In this workshop we’ll look at the fundamentals of flash fiction and experiment with different ways of approach writing fantastic minimalist fiction. Learn how to wring every last drop of goodness from your words and tell a story in fewer than 1000 words.

Explore the world of short fiction, write your own flash, and if you’re feeling brave, share your work with the group. We can direct you towards a stiff drink afterwards…