I’m very happy to share the cover reveal for The Fairlight Book of Short Stories (Volume 1) to be published October 2020. The book includes 24 short stories, from a host of writers, such as Sophie van Llewyn and Adam Trodd. It also features my story ‘Winter, 1963’. This was originally published by Fairlight Books on their online short story portal, for their Winter Shorts series; you can read it here. Fairlight Books, based in Oxford, publish a beautifully curated list of ‘the best of new and contemporary literary fiction’ - this volume is their first anthology of short stories. ‘Winter, 1963’ won 2nd Prize for the Colm Toibin International Short Story Competition 2016, at the Wexford Literary Festival.
3rd Prize Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2019
The Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2019 anthology available to buy @ £8 from the bookshop
I was thrilled to be awarded 3rd Prize for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2019, awarded at the launch of the anthology on 21st November 2019. Most of the 12 long listed short story writers were present, as well as the writer, bookseller and project manager of the prize, Kate Ellis, and the bookshop owner, Denise Jones. We were joined by two of the judges: literary agent Emma Paterson of Aitken Alexander Associates and Kit Caless of Influx Press. The third judge was the writer Zoe Gilbert. Many congratulations to 1st Prize winner James Mitchell and 2nd Prize winner Rosanna Hildyard! It was really great to hear so many writers read an extract from their short stories. The other writers included in the anthology are: Holly Barratt, Emily Bullock, Ellen Hardy, Kerry Hood, Isha Karki, Melody Razak, T. Schroeder, Toby Wallis, and Sylvia Warren.
From left: Kate Ellis, Judith Wilson, James Mitchell, Rosanna Hildyard and Denise Jones
My short story, ‘Hot Butter on Repeat’, was inspired by the landscape of 1970s Liverpool, where I grew up. I’m often drawn back to Liverpool in my short stories. And the track that features in it - ‘Popcorn’ by Hot Butter, released in 1972 - is most definitely worth a listen!
‘Hot Butter on Repeat’ was inspired by 1970s Liverpool
The Brick Lane Bookshop at 166 Brick Lane London E1 6RU www.bricklanebookshop.org
This was the inaugural Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize 2019, and - with 463 entries - I felt very lucky to have my story included in the anthology (and it’s a very beautiful anthology). So thanks again to the organisers and judges, congratulations to the other writers - and now - please buy the book to discover 12 new writers! You can order it for £8 here …
1st Prize Winning Story Published in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts
I was thrilled last August 2017, when I received an email from the American writer, Lorian Hemingway, telling me that I'd won the American Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2017. My story, Welcome to Legoland, had been picked from over 600 international entries and to hear this was such a wonderful boost. As well as winning the prize, an additional bonus was that Welcome to Legoland would be published in Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts. Cutthroat is an internationally recognised literary journal published in the USA: its Editor-in-Chief is Pamela Uschuk. The Spring 2018 issue is now out - and after winging its way across the Atlantic (thank you, Lorian, for taking the time and trouble) - I have received several copies and here it is!
Welcome to Legoland is a story dear to my heart, because it is set in Liverpool in the 1970s, the place and time where I grew up. I wanted to capture the raw industrial mood of the city, as it was then, contrasted with the mature, mellow environs of Liverpool University, where my father taught. I hope I've succeeded. Narrated by a university student about the stranger teenage boy she meets on the avant-garde Southgate Housing Estate in Runcorn New Town, the story explores grief and architecture and a brief encounter between two lost individuals. It was created as a side-step from the novel I'm completing, which is also set in Liverpool. As writers, to take a breather, we're often encouraged to meet our characters in a different place, outside the timeline of the novel, and this is what I did one day. Adrian, the stranger, was the result.
So, a big thank you both to Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts, and to Lorian Hemingway, who is such a generous and encouraging author, for giving my story a chance to meet the world. And if you get to read Welcome to Legoland - I hope you enjoy it.
Plymouth College of Art: Styling
I was thrilled to be invited to meet the 1st and 2nd students on the BA (Hons) Interior Decoration, Design and Styling degree course at Plymouth College of Art. The department has a wonderful buzz about it: what better way to fire one's visual senses, every day, than to see this sign at the entrance?
I gave them a brief lowdown on my own career and we discussed Styling. In the afternoon the 2nd year students presented their ongoing Styling projects to me - a very varied mix of studio and location shots, with highly imaginative and well-thought-through plans and beautifully detailed sketchbooks. I wish them luck with the projects!
Listening to the 2nd year students present their Styling projects
Thanks to Ally Turner and Cathryn Bishop, Lecturer & Acting Programme Leader, and Programme Leader respectively, for inviting me to meet the students and to see your really inspiring studios. (It was my first visit to Plymouth - and what a view from the train ...)
Launch of Bath Short Story Award 2017 Anthology
On Tuesday 28 November I attended the launch of the Bath Short Story Award 2017 Anthology. It was held at the fabulously named Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath (worth a visit), and Bath was looking very sparkly and festive. The event was a chance to meet the winners and other shortlisted writers included in the anthology - and we all read an excerpt from our stories.
The Bath Short Story Award 2017 anthology - just published
Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights ...
Jude, Anna and Jane, the organisers of the Award, had asked us all to read a short extract, so here I am reading the first page from my shortlisted story 'Hunger in the Air'. We also had fabulous readings from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize-winners including Kathy Stevens, Mary Griese, and Sarah Mackey, and many others.
Reading an extract from my shortlisted short story 'Hunger in the Air' ...
I'm thrilled to have a story published in the anthology, and to be in such illustrious company! And you can buy it here
Inspirational Lecture/KLC School of Design
This morning I had a great time lecturing to the Part Time Certificate Students at the KLC School of Design. It was their last day after almost a year's hard graft, so hopefully discussing and learning about Styling in all its guises was light relief after the pressures of presenting their final work! Ally Coakes, their course tutor, was very welcoming.
The Part Time Certificate students after the talk ...
Today I touched on working as an editorial stylist, how to look critically at an image when styling, approaching magazines to place a project and how to start thinking as a stylist. So, thanks to KLC School of Design for inviting me, and to the students for listening so attentively this morning - good luck as you begin your new careers as interior designers ... or stylists, for that matter ...
'Interior Styling for Beginners'/KLC School of Design Short Course
Last week I led a one-day short course for KLC School of Design on 'Interior Styling for Beginners'. We had a full complement of 19 attendees, and over the day we covered a variety of topics: the role of the stylist, determining a brief, how to create mood, display and the low-down on great props to use. We finished off with a whistle-top look at being on location for a shoot.
A few fail-safe props that are always a good choice ...
What I love about teaching such courses is the generous inter-action with attendees - we had the chance to look at some of their own styling worries at home, and hopefully we collectively came up with some helpful solutions. My own secret weapon when it comes to styling? A great selection of black and white photos - they have myriad uses - and a vast library of vases!
And don't forget - a library of different vase shapes is essential, too
Wimbledon Book Fest 2017
On Sunday evening I joined the long queue at Wimbledon Book Fest 2017 to see author Salman Rushdie, in conversation with the BBC journalist Razia Iqbal. He was discussing his latest book, The Golden House (published by Jonathan Cape). It was an entertaining and amusing evening, tied neatly into current global events, yet with crucial insights into a writer's personal world.
Wimbledon Book Fest 2017 runs from 5-15 October 2017
In recent years I've visited a number of live author talks (Colm Toibin, Rose Tremain, Kate Atkinson to name but a few ...) and every time I've come away not only with a better understanding of the book in question, but also of the individual thought processes and craft that each writer pursues. It's a brilliant way to achieve a personal insight into the minds of modern-day, working authors. And often the audience questions provide off-the-cuff and entertaining answers, too.
Salman Rushdie and Razia Iqbar in conversation at Wimbledon Book Fest 2017
Attending book talks is also a fabulous opportunity for a book signing. There's something very special about meeting an author face-to-face, and I treasure all the books I've had signed in recent years. Next one my reading list? This one:
The Golden House is published by Jonathan Cape.