The tale about a day in the life of Satish, a lifeguard on one of Goa’s extensive beaches finds a home with OutofPrint online literary journal, Mumbai. Hurray!
Drishti
‘Oculus’ shorlisted by 87 Bedford
This story, set in Iran and India, and dealing with women’s right to autonomy, has been shortlisted in the 87 Bedford competition.
The Menace at the Gate
1980s Punjab, and a restless teenager’s urge for independence plays out against the backdrop of Sikh unrest. Accepted for publication by the Bombay Literary Magazine, editor Tanuj Solanki. Delighted! This is my first step into the Indian market.
‘The Work of Lesser-Known Artists’ Makes its Debut
‘Flamingo Land and Other Stories’ launched last week at Waterstones, Piccadilly, London. The book includes ‘The Work of Lesser-Known Artists.’ The story features hard-pressed gallery attendant Patti, struggling to make ends meet in an ever more draconian work environment supposedly dedicated to Art. It explores the issue of the commodification of people as well as the commodification of Art. For details on how to get hold of a copy, visit the Publications page.
Olga Sinclair Short Story Award 2015
Attended the prize-giving ceremony of the Olga Sinclair Short Story competition in Norwich on Tuesday 20th October. The competition is hosted by the Norwich Writers’ Circle, and was established in honour of one of their longstanding members and presidents. My somewhat mad story ‘Moving In’ achieved ‘highly commended status. The competition was adjudicated by Ashley Stokes, editor of Unthank Books. There were 155 entries.
One for the Off – Visual Verse
My latest – or should I say, my only – very short short story goes live today on the website of ‘Visual Verse’, an on-line anthology of images and fiction. Check publications listing to read it.
Fish International Short Story Award 2014/15
I’ve only just discovered – because I wasn’t notified – that I had three short stories longlisted in the Fish International Short Story Competition this year. These were, ‘The Menace at the Gate’, ‘The Queen of Campbeltown’ and ‘Drishti’ (under a different title). Good grief!
The London Short Story Festival 2015, Sunday – the last hurrah!
What a tremendous week-end! There must be something in this summer solstice business. First of all, it’s the first International Yoga day today, so many goings on and much interest there. (Git on down, Mr. Modi!) Then I attended a thought-provoking workshop with Toby Litt today, on the difference between tales and stories, and another cracking one last night with D W Wilson about how to ‘intensify’ one’s prose. I have come away with much to think about (and not always what the workshop leaders may have intended, either). Paul McVeigh’s strategy of inviting overseas writers who are not so well known to us here really paid off and means that I’ve had to truck home even more books to sit on the landing. This was an extremely stimulating event this year, and I’m grateful to Spread the Word for organising it.
The London Short Story Festival 2015 – Saturday
As a Northerner, I am not greatly given to superlatives, unless they feature sweary words, but this evening’s session on the BBC Short Story Award featured three writers – two of whom I am encountering for the first time – whose work is absolutely top dollar. These were D W Wilson, Joe Dunthorne and Krys Lee. Apart from reading powerful extracts from their work, they had some great insights to share about what makes a short story special. Stories that take a ‘left turn’ for example. Then there was D W Wilson’s observation that ‘ a good story is like the sky reflected in a puddle,’ and Krys Lee saying she was motivated by problems she experienced in the Universe (as opposed to the challenges of form or language).
DW mentioned that the difference between writing a novel and writing a short story is like building a house versus building a cabinet: they both require the same materials, but with the cabinet, there’s a greater chance of perfection. So, it seems to me, it’s like writing a symphony as compared to writing a string quartet.
My pile of early morning reading just got larger.
The London Short Story Festival 2015 – Friday
The second session yesterday evening featured writer Ben Okri talking about his considerable oeuvre. Interestingly, the room virtually emptied of its white audience and was replaced with a mainly black one. What does that tell us about multi-cultural Britain and our willingness, or otherwise, to listen to and learn about each other’s experiences? Hmmm.