Manchester! End of All Things Podcast & Bad Language

I had a wonderful week last week, with 2 visits to Manchester - first to read at the amazing Poets and Players science-themed event, with Jemma Borg and David Morley! Video will be available soon.

After the event, Rob Cutforth whisked me and Jo Bell off to a cafe to interview us for his End of All Things podcast. This is the result (the interview begins about 8 minutes in) and involves much giggling, some talk of Ovid, and, perhaps, bits of usefulness about writing, I will leave that to you to judge!




Then, after a trip to London to talk to a very enthusiastic and delightful group of students and staff at South Bank University, back to Manchester to "headline" (what a nice word) at Bad Language, the live lit event I have been eyeing jealously on Twitter each month, wishing I was nearer.

What a fantastic event Fat Roland and Joe Daly create - do get yourself there! There's an open mic, a mix of poetry and short stories, and one headline act in the middle. I had a brilliant time, here's a picture courtesy of David Gaffney:

So, a very active week for me, from which I am now recovering, as we introverts need to. But so lovely that copies of my poetry chapbook are now out in the world, many ordered through my website and posted by me and others bought at the above events. I've had some wonderful responses already, each one unexpected, some by people I don't know and am probably not related to. Joyous, it is!

Short story talk...

I've been asked to waffle on about short stories quite a lot recently, I thought I'd share it all with you - first, here are a blue-tinged me and Kirsty Logan at Fictions Of Every Kind in Leeds in November, talking about short stories and writing:



Next, I was honored to be interviewed over at The Short Story, here's a snippet:

How has the editing process informed your own work?
 
What an interesting question! First, I have to say that it’s far easier to spot things in someone else’s work than it is in your own. What I do when I offer suggestions on someone else’s story is to remember to come at it from within what the writer wants to do, not how I would write that story.

And this week the wonderful folk at the Bristol Short Story Prize, for whom I am a judge this year, asked me a few more questions:

What influence do you think doing a PhD has had on your writing?

As a short story writer – and now also a poet – while I loved what I was doing, no-one was really waiting for me to do anything, by which I mean, I imposed my own deadlines, motivated myself. I didn’t have an agent chivvying me, for example. So the main reason for me to undertake a PhD in Creative Writing was to have a framework, to get gently yet firmly chivvied!  

You may discover that I disagree with myself in these interviews - any thoughts on your own writing processes, what competitions mean to you? Please do share in the comments!

My performance at Sanctum Bristol!

So there's been this rather amazing happening in Bristol over the past few weeks - Sanctum, an initiative of American artist and initiator of public art projects, Theaster Gates. For 24 days, there was continuous, 24-hour sound of one sort or another in a brand-new structure which was built for this purpose inside the ruins of Temple Church in the centre of the city. And the sound? That was provided by hundreds of Bristol-based performers (and they let in a few non-Bristolians!) playing music, talking, reading, or creating in other ways! I was delighted to have been offered 3 slots - one at midnight, one at 2.40am (!) and one today at noon - to read some of my short stories and poems.

The whole experience was magical! Each performance had a different feel - Sanctum didn't release a programme, so people turned up not knowing who or what they would hear. I wandered by several times just to see what was playing...

At my midnight reading on Oct 31st there were rather a lot of zombies, it being Halloween... And at 2.40am, where I had expected it would just be me and the sound guys, there were 4 audience members and 3 staff! Today, I followed the amazing Tribe of Peace, a drumming and musical ensemble that had everyone dancing. I changed the atmosphere a little by reading mostly science-inspired short short stories and poetry for 20 minutes... if you'd like to listen, here it is!

Live Canon Shortlist

After a night consisting greatly of coughing, I was delighted to wake up this morning to an email telling me I'd been shortlisted for the fabulous Live Canon poetry competition - the joy of this competition is that ALL the shortlisted poems will be performed by the ensemble at the prize-giving event, as well as being published in the 2015 anthology! Full shortlist below, congratulations all - and if you'd like to join us at the poetry party, it's on Sunday 22nd November at 3pm at Greenwich Theatre. Tickets are free. 

Shortlist:
 
Abigail Parry, Magpie as Gambler
Alan Buckley, Dovey Junction
AM Henry, Weather Systems, Key Stage 4
Charles Evans, The Sistine Lavabo
Christopher North, They Think It’s Over
David Atwooll, Notes for a Soundtrack
Geraldine Clarkson, After If—
Hilary Watson, Scrap Metal
Isabel Rogers, Boys in the Storm
Jacqueline Saphra, Your Warranty is Void
Joan Michelson, Unframed
Lesley Saunders, Asylum
Mab Jones, Poem in Which Canned Laughter is Returned
Mark Cooper, Labyrinth
Matt Bryden, The Respite
Mel Pyror, Walking the River Tay
Natalya Anderson, Milk and Cookies
NJ Hynes, What is a ‘V’ but an unfinished triangle
Oona Chantrell, On the Monkey Bars
Pat Borthwick, Charcoal Burner
Paul Carney, In a Dawlish Telephone Box
Sophie Reynolds, Fulham Road, 14^th December
Stav Poleg, Flamingo Mise-en-Scene
Tania Hershman, Dreams of a Tea Seller
Tim O’Leary, Funeral in a Dark Wood

Novel Nights' Short Story Special, Sep 17, Bristol

After having had to postpone my participation in the last one of these due to my cough, I'm really delighted they've allowed me back again! Details below:

Novel Nights News

Short Stories with Tania Hershman   Thursday, September 17th The Lansdown, 8 Clifton Road, Bristol BS8 1AF   20:00  Tickets: £5 on the door Tania will be talking about her latest book, Writing Short Stories, A Writers' and Artists' Companion and sharing her love of short fiction. Her short story collections are: The White Road and Other Stories and My Mother was an Upright Piano. Her debut poetry collection, Nothing Here is Wild, Everything is Open, will be published in Feb 2016.  Don't miss the magic.  www.novelnights.co.uk Our readers are: Helen McClory, reading from her debut short story collection Kevlin Henney, who writes drabbles ,flash and short fiction  Harriet Kline,  whose stories have been broadcast on Radio 4 Pete Sutton, editor, blogger and writer Grace Palmer, writer and event organiser Books will be on sale from Tania and Helen McClory

Novel Nights Short Story Special This Thurs, Bristol

EDITED: sadly, I wasn't well enough to go but I hear a great time was had by all, and I look foward perhaps to reading at Novel Nights another time!

I'm really looking forward to appearing at the Novel Nights' Short Story Special this Thurs March 19th at The Landsdown, in Bristol. The poor organisers had to put up with me saying to them for the past year, But you do know I don't write novels? Until it was explained that it's not ALWAYS novelists that they invite...  I am dense and annoying! Alongside wonderful writers Freya Morris, Ken Elkes, Judy Darley, Louise Gethin and Thomas Parker, I'll be reading some stories (and, shh, some poems too) and talking about writing and probably about permission, one of my favourite themes. Please do come if you're nearby!

Short Story Evening with Jon McGregor, Eliza Robertson and Lucy Wood

I'm getting excited now about this event I am chairing next Wed - here are the details! Any questions you'd like me to ask them - about permission in writing, in particular?

Short Story Evening with Jon McGregor, Eliza Robertson and Lucy Wood

chaired by Tania Hershman

Date: Wednesday 25^th February
Time: 6pm for 6.30pm. Ends 7.45pm
Place: Bloomsbury Publishing, 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP. Click here to book

Tania Hershman delves into the imaginations of three wonderful Bloomsbury short story writers, Jon McGregor, Eliza Robertson and Lucy Wood, asking them about the weird and fabulous worlds they create in their short stories - from underwater husbands and memories entangled with catfish to how to trap hummingbirds, relinquish drams gracefully, feed raccoons without getting bitten, and fenland creations of things buried and unearthed.

Jon, Eliza and Lucy will reflect on the risks they take in their stories and on what and who gives them permission to try new things. They’ll discuss how they write these clever, surreal and minimalist short stories that ask the reader to play a part in their creation, as well as their own personal taboo topics, why they write and what it unravels for them.

 ‘Each time I find a new short story I love, it cracks open a window and lets fresh air into my own writing’ Tania Hershman

‘McGregor is the contemporary master of lives lived in what the Irish call a small way, and the belief, which is literature’s, that we are all poetic’ Linda Grant, Financial Times

Jon McGregor is the author of the critically acclaimed This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, So Many Ways to Begin and Even the Dogs. He is the winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Betty Trask Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award, and has been twice longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He was runner-up for the BBC National Short Story Award in both 2010 and 2011, with 'If It Keeps on Raining' and 'Wires' respectively. He was born in Bermuda in 1976. He grew up in Norfolk and now lives in Nottingham. www.jonmcgregor.com @jon_mcgregor
Eliza Robertson is the author of Wallflowers, her debut short story collection. She was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1987 and grew up on Vancouver Island. She studied creative writing and political science at the University of Victoria and then pursued her MA in prose fiction at the University of East Anglia. While there she received the Man Booker Scholarship and the Curtis Brown Prize for best writer. Robertson is now a highly celebrated short story writer; in 2013, she won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize and was a finalist for the Journey and CBC Short Story prizes. She currently lives in Norwich and is working on completing her first novel. @ElizaRoberts0n

 

 

Lucy Wood is the author of a critically acclaimed collection of short stories based on Cornish folklore Diving Belles. She has been longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and was a runner-up in the BBC National Short Story Award. She has also been awarded the Holyer an Gof Award and a Somerset Maugham Award. Lucy Wood has a Master’s degree in creative writing from Exeter University. Her debut novel, Weathering, is published this January 2015. She lives in Devon.
Book tickets here >>>

National Flash Fiction Day 2014

Great excitement here in Bristol over National Flash Fiction Day 2014, this Saturday, June 21st! Here's what's happening, organised by Bristol Flash, do join if you can:

And the official NFFD anthology, Eat My Words, in which I am honoured to have a very short piece, is now out, the print version is available here, and get your copy of the ebook here. 

Happy National Flash Fiction Day!

ShortStops Is Launched!

I've been very quiet here for months, and one of the main reasons is that I've been working hard on my brand new online short story venture. I'm delighted to announce that today it went live! It's called ShortStops, and in a nutshell (because we like small containers around here) it's me getting excited about all the amazing short-story-related activity in the UK & Ireland, which I think deserves celebrating! So, you will find an enhanced version of my lit mags list, joined by a list of Live Lit events across the UK & Ireland at which short stories are read, by their authors or by actors, plus a list of as many contemporary short story authors as I can find, who have published short story collections.

These lists will grow and grow, I know they will. And the site will also feature blog posts by the editors of said magazines and organisers of events, telling you about new issues, calls for submission, upcoming events and pictures from past events etc... So head over to ShortStops, sign up for our mailing list, follow the blog by email, follow us on Twitter.com/ShortStopsUK and Facebook, and join the short story party!

I'm going to have a lie down now, it's all been a bit too exciting...

Reading at Word of Mouth, April 3rd, Bristol

The Book Stops Here Tomorrow Night!

I am so excited about reading at The Book Stops Here tomorrow night in London - because alongside me (or rather, above me) on the bill is ALI SMITH. Ali Smith, author of many award winning short story collections and novels... and one of the two main reasons I started writing short stories in the first place. Her stories and Roald Dahl's. That was what did it for me. Roald Dahl's stories when I was a child showed me the power of what can be done in a few pages, to shock and surprise. Then, years later, Ali Smith showed me the more intimate side of the short stories, ones that don't need blood, murder and policemen in order to be just as powerful, often as shocking. 

She has also been personally very supportive - I was taught by her and Toby Litt on an Arvon course in 2006 and she basically said what you would imagine in your wildest dreams that one of your gurus would say to you: "You are a writer. You can do this". Talking about permissions in an earlier post - what could be a greater permission than that - not just permission, but instruction!

Anyway, I am blogging about this in advance to try and reduce the chances of me being all fangirl-ish tomorrow night, must remain professional. Ha! Also on the bill are Joe Stretch and Essie Fox, whose writings I am not yet familiar with, I can't wait. Do come! Here are the full details

On Monday, December 10 we’ll be bringing you a very special festive* episode of The Book Stops Here (*readings may or may not actually be festive).

ALI SMITH, whose latest book Artful is part essay, part lecture, part genre-bending fiction and a loving ode to everything from Oliver Twist to Wislawa Szymborska. Daniel Hahn in the Independent on Sunday raved that it’s “Smart, allusive, informal, playful, audacious. (It’s true. I think I am in love with Ali Smith.)” Join the club, Dan. Join the club.

JOE STRETCH, reading from The Adult, which is part hilarious novel, part ode to a 90s childhood – “I knew from the first page that this was going to be a very funny book, but I didn’t realise it would have so much heart and be so beautiful” says TBSH favourite Evie Wyld.

TANIA HERSHMAN, a contributor to the STILL anthology and the latest issue of Five Dials, reading from her new collection, My Mother Was An Upright Piano – praised last week by the TLS for its “quirky, often funny focus on small-scale human oddities, anxieties and misunderstandings.”

And ESSIE FOX, the brains behind the Virtual Victorian blog and author of two Victorian novels, The Somnambulist and her most recent, Elijah’s Mermaid, which the Guardian compares to Wilkie Collins AND early Sarah Waters and says “the glee with which Fox approaches her material is infectious.” So get ready to be infected!

With books and holiday spirit. 7.30pm for drinks, 8pm for the good stuff, on Monday, December 10 at the Alley Cat bar, 4 Denmark Street.

Radio 3!

Just a very quick blog post as I pause for a moment on my travels to say that I will be live in Gateshead tomorrow night at the BBC's Freethinking Festival, reading two newly-commissioned flash stories on the subject of editing on The Verb - in the exalted company of Don Paterson, Tony Harrison and Laura Barber of Granta. Am a little nervous... I believe the program will be streamed live on the Internet from the event, and then broadcast on Radio 3 next Friday night, Nov 9th, The Verb's regular slot. I am really looking forward to meeting the host, Ian McMillan - last time I was on, in July, I did it from a distance, from Bristol. I loved hearing him say "My Mother Was An Upright Piano" in that wonderful voice of his, can't wait for a second one! Wish me luck... 

Live lit & other news

Just a very quick post, so much going on, it's hard to know where to start! Well, firstly, I am reading at Ragged Stone tomorrow night (Tues 16th) in Portishead - come, sign up for the open mic and read too! I'm also reading at the Bristol Lit Fest Flash open mic on Saturday 20th at 4pm at the Hooper House cafe, in the excellent company of Sarah Hilary, Valerie O'Riordan, Kevlin Henney and more...! Then, a few hours later that same day, you've got me reading again (different stuff, I promise) at the Unputdownable Speakeasy, with  Nikesh Shukla, Valerie O’Riordan, Sanjida O’Connell, Miles Chambers & Maria McCann. Do come if you're in the area, it'll be a great party!

Next Tues Oct 23rd, I'm delighted to be one of the two guest writers - along with Kerry Hudson, who I interviewed on my blog here - at Stories Aloud in Oxford. Actors will be reading our work and then we'll be answering questions, probably about what our favourite fonts are! If you need to know, then come along.

In other news, I'm thrilled beyond words to have been shortlisted for the poetry section of the 2012 Bridport prize - my first time entering a poem! The full shortlists are here, great to see so many familiar names, congrats to: Martha Williams, Jon Pinnock, Roshi Fernando, Josephine Corcoran, Afric McGlinchey, Joanna Campbell, Kay Sexton, Cassandra Parkin, Kerry Hood, Dave Swann and Barbara Leahy! And my friend Sandra Jensen, who was highly commended in the short story section!

Sorry about all the exclamation marks. Overexcited.

Story Fridays in Bath Wants You!

I got this email from the wonderful Clare Reddaway and she asked me to pass on the following:

It's that time again! I'm looking for stories! Story Fridays at the Museum went well, with interesting and varied stories on The Fall. We had a new venue, and I'm pleased to say that the Museum is happy to host us again for the next Story Friday on November 16th.

November's theme is Sparks, and I am looking for writer-performers and their stories. Please interpret the theme any way you like - emotional sparks are as good as physical ones! As always, I am looking for short stories or monologues, fact or fiction (but mainly fiction) that would be 15 minutes or under when read, so absolute maximum 2,300 words. That is a maximum though - we had some lovely flash fiction last time, that was much appreciated by the audience.

The event will be held on Friday 16th November. Please do bear this in mind before you submit as you need to be available and willing to read your piece if it is selected. If I haven't worked with you before, I would like to rehearse your piece with you before the event.

The deadline is 5th November - a perfect inspiration for a sparky piece of story telling? At the moment, this is an unpaid opportunity. Do email me at clare.reddaway@btinternet.com or give me a ring on 01225 428 469 or go to the website www.awordinyourear.org.uk if you'd like any more information.

Around and About for the Next 8 weeks

By the time this blog post goes up I will be in Plymouth for my event tonight at the Central Library as part of the first Plymouth International Book Fest - do come if you are in the area, we kick off at 6.30pm!

I am around and about a lot over the next 8 weeks and I wanted to list all my events here, and if any of you can come to something, it would be great to meet you. But before that, if you're in the vicinity of Bath this Friday, head over to Story Friday from 7pm to hear my friend Sarah Hilary and five other writers read their short stories inspired by The Fall. Wish I could be there but I will be...

Sept 19-22nd: running four flash fiction workshops, Cork International Short Story Festival in Cork, Ireland, and reading from my new collection. Booking now open

Wednesday 26 Sept reading at the launch of the STILL anthology, Foyles, London, Event Facebook page, 6.30pm

Thursday 11 Oct running flash fiction workshop for Writing Events in Bath, at Mr B's bookshop, Bath, 6.30pm-8.30pm. Booking now open

Saturday 13 Oct Interviewing novelist James Long about his long-awaited sequel to Ferney at Unputdownable Bristol Festival of Literature, Waterstones, Bristol Booking now open

Tuesday 16 Oct reading at Ragged Stone, monthly open mic night, Portishead

Saturday 20 Oct Reading alongside Nikesh Shukla, Valerie O’Riordan, Sanjida O’Connell, Miles Chambers & Maria McCann at Unputdownable Bristol Festival of Literature, Left Bank, Bristol. Booking now open

Tuesday 23 Oct guest author, with Kerry Hudson, at Stories Aloud, Oxford

Thursday 25 Oct Doing workshop for creative writing undergrads, Bath Spa University, Bath

Saturday 27 Oct taking part in the Lit Up Write Now! one-day conference, Bournemouth. Booking now open

Monday 29 Oct reading at the Bristol University Staff Creative Writing Club, Bristol.

7 Nov guest at Swansea University creative writing seminar

19-24th Nov Co-tutoring an Arvon Foundation short story course with Adam Marek, and special guest Helen Dunmore, Totleigh Barton

After that...I will be having a rest!

Stroud stories

Bill Jones, organiser of the excellent Stroud Stories live lit night at which I had the honour of reading a few months ago, asked me to post this:

Stroud Short Stories is back on Sunday, 14th October, and is looking for stories to be read by their authors at this event.

Stories can be between 50 and 1500 words in length and can be on any subject but, as Halloween will be approaching, SPOOKY STORIES ARE ESPECIALLY WELCOME. The deadline for submissions is: Sunday 16th September.

Please send your stories to stroudshortstories@yahoo.co.uk 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,

Bill

Visit: http://stroudshortstories.blogspot.co.uk/ for more information and photos of previous events.

Follow us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stroud-Short-Stories/183546818384683

Poets v Proseurs, Not the Oxford Literary Festival

Sometimes I wonder how I get so lucky. I mean, look at this amazing line-up I am honoured to be part of at tomorrow night's Poets versus Proseurs event at the wonderful Not the Oxford Literary Festival!

Penny Goring, author of The Zoom Zoom
Joe A Briggs, Oxford’s voice of punk
Sarah-Clare Conlon, editor of Quickies
David Gaffney, author of The Half-Life of Songs
Calum Kerr, organiser of National Flash Fiction Day
Amy Riley, host of Brighton Fringe’s award-winning show Grit Lit
Fay Roberts, host of Poetry Kapow, Allographic & Hammer and Tongue Cambridge
Emily Harrison, winner of the 2010 Tower Poetry Prize
Lucy Ayrton, co-host of Hammer and Tongue Oxford
Tina Sederholm, co-host of Hammer and Tongue Oxford
Anna Percy from the Stirred poetry collective
Sian Rathore, editor at Metazen
Anna Hobson, author of Tales of Unrequited Love
Paul Askew, editor of Ferment Zine
James Purcell Webster, performance editor at Sabotage Reviews
Hannah Elwick, slammer and co-prankster behind Gin-Soaked Sheets

and the fabulous Dan Holloway will be MC!

I'm one of those wavering between prose and poetry - a kind of prosette, perhaps? -  I'm going to let the audience judge for themselves what it is I'm reading, mostly from my forthcoming collection, My Mother Was An Upright Piano: Fictions (published May 3rd, did I mention that??!).

Do come along if you're nearby! Entry is £2 all proceeds support The Albion Beatnik bookstore, which is where the event is, kicking off at 7pm. If you are on Facebook, more information here. Can't wait!

More than Words

I had a brilliant time yesterday afternoon taking part in the Radio 4 More Than Words "listening festival" in Bristol! I was one of three local writers invited to create "short stories with sound" which we - me, Edson Burton and Paul Mundell (reading Tim X Atack's story) - then read, with sound effects provided by the amazing Radio 4 sound team, at the gorgeous St George's, in front of a live audience, and were recorded for broadcast.

It was a really interesting experience being asked to create words with sounds in mind. I ended up - as is my wont - not writing one 15-minute story by 3 very short stories, each one quite different but all in some way inspired by science (as is my wont), under the heading "Reality Check". I found that thinking about sound effects really added to the writing of the story - I could use the sounds as shorthand, make them really work hard, not just be gratuitous. I hope that what I wrote will work as "just" words on a page, but I really enjoyed having my senses stretched.

Reading them with the sound effects was also wonderful. I have to say, I do love being on stage, especially in such a glorious venue (see above) where we've been to hear a wide range of live music - and Margaret Atwood! Once you get me up there, under the lights, I don't actually want to get offstage. Two of my 3 stories were supposed to be funny, but you never really know until the reading, and the audience giggled in places I hadn't expected. For me, there's almost nothing better than making an audience laugh, I love it.

You'll be able to hear me reading the stories - and, I hope, some of the audience's giggles -  on Radio 4's (one remaining weekday) Afternoon Reading programme on Friday 13th April (auspicious??) and on iplayer for a week following that, I imagine. I will give you a link when it's available. I've had several stories on Radio 4 but this is the first time they've allowed me (nay, paid me) to read them myself, and it seemed to go down well so maybe they'll allow me to do it again! Thank you to our fantastic producer, Sara Davies, and to my fellow writers, Edson Burton (whose story, Hood,  will be broadcast the Friday after mine) and Tim X Atack, whose story Birdsong Man you can hear the week before mine.

Black Market Tale Traders

I'm really excited about being involved in this very special event to mark both the Jewish festival of Purim and International Women's Day, on March 8th, in London. I wrote a story which will be performed by an actor... read on for more!

Subtext: black Market tale traderS Thursday 8th March Purim as you’ve never experienced it before. Set in a theatrical underground bar full of characters and music, Subtext is a clandestine economy fuelled by our passion for stories. Armed with a fistful of our currency you’ll spend an evening unearthing narrative gems from amongst the stalls and cast of this black market world. Take the opportunity to interact or just sit and listen in the bar there will be chapters and verses – and even live music – to everyone’s tastes. Many of the tales you’ll discover are inspired by the women in the story of Purim and have been specially commissioned by the JCC from a number of female writers. This will be an exciting, immersive storytelling experience, with stories by Eleanor Greene, Tania Hershman, Irma Kurtz and Rachel Rose Reid. Live music will come from the Shtetl Superstars, a jumping, ska hip hop satire on Europe’s obsession with immigration written by Lemez Lovas and Yuriy Gurzhy. Time Doors open at 7.00pm Tales will be told from 7.45pm Venue Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, London EC2A 3AY Price £12 in advance, £15 on the door. This will provide you with enough Purim bills to have a pleasurable time. More bills will be available for those with an insatiable hunger for stories. To book Click here to book

White Rabbit Live Lit Tea Party

This is a recommendation for all you short story writers who can get to London, or Brighton - The White Rabbit's Are You Sitting Comfortably live lit events. It's described as "A cosy evening of cracking stories, cute cakes and comfortable chairs" but it is so much more! It's quite a Mad Hatter's tea party...

I was delighted to have one of my short short stories, Underground (previously published in PANK a few years ago - scroll down) chosen for their "Underground" themed night on Friday night, where it would be read by an actor. And I was invited to come along (they really like the writers to be there) and listen.

Well, I've been to live lit events before, but never one where the tables had proper cake stands filled with tiny homemade cakes, tea cups brimmed with sweeties (yes, gentle reader, I ate them all), and where the chip butties flowed freely! Not only were the readings - by organizers Gareth and Bernadette, actors and writers, and the guest reader, Fiona - excellent, but the atmosphere was wonderful, they constantly made sure that I was okay, since I'd come alone, and supplied with chip butties. After all the readings, we played pass-the-parcel! (Non-Brits, see here for explanation) with prizes! I felt well and truly back in the 1970s, in the best way - especially given the Wombles-themed story that came with soundtrack. I went home with a specially-printed copy of my story in a beautifully-made folder and a White Rabbit memory stick I bought with Gareth and Bernadette reading about 3 hours of stories.

A cracking evening, a delight for writers, a joy for anyone who loves stories and loves being read to - submit for their next themed nights, see The White Rabbit for more. I can't recommend this highly enough, thank you Gareth and Bernadette!