Vintage Borges
‘A story about opposites: the hellish North versus the open skied South, reality versus the world of dreams, life versus death…’ LOUISE HEGARTY explores the conflicts and mysteries in Jorge Luis Borges’ short story ‘The South’.
Digging in Moorcock’s Subterranean London
DREW WHITTET goes beneath the surface of Michael Moorcock’s ‘London Bone’: ‘Moorcock has many different styles, priding himself on his flexibility. He enjoys sticking with familiar characters, often dropping them into weird and uncomfortable settings…’
Under Witness Protection
ANUSHREEE NANDE gets under the skin of ‘Witness Protection’ by Guy Ware: ‘The narrative revolves around Henry and Stella, and their seemingly routine life that hides secrets, lies and, possibly, violence…’
Love, Life and Longing
CAROL FENLON finds love amongst the guilt and loss in Carys Bray’s short story collection, Sweet Home: ‘These are stories of family life, at times utterly domestic. Yet the reader soon finds that the homes described are far from sweet…’
On My Travels
VICKI HEATH examines Once Upon a Time There Was a Traveller, the 2013 anthology of Asham Award-winning stories: ‘As I read, I considered each story carefully, wondering what made these particular pieces stand out for the judges…’
Do You Need to Keep a Notebook?
Short story writer, novelist and creative writing lecturer SALLY O’REILLY ponders the writer’s notebook: ‘For most writers, a notebook is the closest thing we have to an artist’s sketch book, and the equivalent of a studio…’
Flame Lurid
STEPHEN DEVEREUX explores the enigmatic world of D.H. Lawrence’s short story ‘Fanny and Annie’: ‘It is, I would argue, one of the best short story openings in English. What does it tell the reader? Nothing. And everything…’
Darkness and Light
‘…the characters express themselves in broad Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire Coalfield. However, it is not so much the language, but the use of language that excites me…’ MIKE SMITH takes an insightful look at the use of language in D.H. Lawrence’s short story ‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’
Are You Sitting Comfortably?
‘There’s a stage in front of me. There’s a microphone on the stage. There are lights that make your eyes go funny and a room full of people….’ HOLLY DAWSON shares the tips she found most useful when facing the dreaded public short story reading.
To Tweet, or Not to Tweet
WRITING EXERCISE: Writer and tutor EMMA STRONG suggests a way in which Twitter might revolutionise your writing day: ‘Does it provide us with a forum to share and discuss work, to give and receive feedback, or is Twitter just a narcissistic time-waster, best ignored?’