Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Happy National Flash Fiction Day - And A Giveaway!

It's National Flash Fiction Day!! Here's hoping you all have a good one... head over to the official website to find out what's going on around the country! A huge round of applause for founder and organizer Calum Kerr, what a job this man has done. Wow. Check out his Flash Flood journal, with a veritable cascade of fantastic flash fiction posted since midnight last night, and ongoing! The Thresholds short story forum has a great article celebrating the day, and Twitter-length flash fiction that has been submitted.Also: the amazing anthology he has produced, Jawbreakers, which includes stories by Ali Smith, Ian Rankin, and more (including me) is FREE to download just today for the Kindle. Get it here. And the Flash Fiction South West's gorgeous anthology, Kissing Frankenstein and Other Stories, is available here.

And me? Well, I'm heading off shortly to Oxford to the gorgeous Albion Beatnik bookstore (see the pic) for Eight Cuts' Flash Fiction Slam which starts at 6.30pm tonight, a feast of flash fiction slammers going head to head (not me, I'm too cowardly). I shall be offering gentle comments on the proceedings and some stern words about the joys of flash fiction. Come join us!

If you can't make any of the events, not sure what this is all about, a great place to start are the anthologies that first inspired my love for the short short story:

This is a pic of them on my desk... they were published from the 1980s onwards (no flash fiction was not invented in the 21st century), all edited by the indominitable Robert Shaphard and James Thomas, and include luminaries such as Grace Paley, Aimee Bender, Barry Yourgrau, and many many more.

The eagle-eyed amongst you many notice that I actually have TWO copies of Sudden Fiction: American Short Short Stories, and so to honour this day I am going to give away a copy to one lucky blog reader. No need to do anything, just express interest in the comments section and one person will be picked out of a hat later in the week. I will send it anywhere in the world...

Happy happy flash fiction day!

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Please can my name go in the hat for the giveaway? Been busy with lots of poetry and a large piece lately, so this might be just what I need to get back to flash fiction again! Thanks

Valerie O'Riordan said...

Name in the hat! Name in the hat!

Oscar Windsor-Smith said...

Me, too! Me, me, me, please, Miss!

Happy (Inter) National Flash Fiction Day, everybody.

Oscar

Neil said...

And me, please

Tim said...

Pretty please :-)

I have the International one. That was good. I'd like to read the US one.

angel readman said...

please with stories on the top. Happy flash day & congratson the book (loving it.)

Downith said...

Interest expressed here.

Tania Hershman said...

Annie, Valerie, Oscar, Neil, Tim, Angela and Downith, you are in the hat! Will pick a winner tomorrow.

Angela, thank you, so glad you're enjoying it!

Rebecca Emin said...

It was such a pleasure to meet you last night, and your comments were indeed very gentle and encouraging! I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did.

Tania Hershman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
nike voetbalschoenen said...

Happy (Inter) National Flash Fiction Day!

Tania Hershman said...

And the winner - picked by http://www.random.org/! - is Angela! Congratulations! Everyone else, I'm sure you can pick up second hand copies of the Sudden Fiction series, they are well worth it!

Anonymous said...

I am glad to find this wonderful blog post!! Keep up the good work!!
garden statues