L-R Bob Jacobs, Vanessa Gebbie, Sara Crowley, Holly Howitt
With other flash fiction writers, (including Tim Stevenson who unfortunately is not in the photo) I celebrated National Flash Fiction Day on 16 May in Southampton. The event was held in the lecture theatre at the Central Library and offered all of the invited writers a chance to share their work. As it was also the launch of Jawbreakers an anthology to mark the first National Flash Fiction Day, many chose to read flashes from the new publication. And I used it as an opportunity to promote the work of Flash Fiction South West, reading Greenhayes from Kissing Frankenstein & Other Stories. If you’d like to learn more about flash fiction, please click here for an interesting article.
Rachel Carter had the idea to create an on-line anthology for Flash Fiction South West. I was recruited as a reader to filter submissions and as I live in Dorset, I was also entitled to submit to the anthology. It has been a pleasure to work with Rachel, a talented writer and photographer who also found the time to compile and edit the print anthology. She should have a medal the size of a dinner plate in recognition for her hard work.
Other people at the event included Natalie Bowers who has a story titled Ash in Jawbreakers. She is also the brains behind the 1000 words website (click the badge in the sidebar for more information) and a fellow reader for Flash Fiction South West.
Here’s Brendan Way from Devon, currently a student at the University of Winchester. He’s holding a copy of Kissing Frankenstein & Other Stories. During the evening he gave an excellent reading of his story True Colours.
None of the above would have happened without Calum Kerr, the director of National Flash Fiction Day. He mused upon the success of National Poetry Day and decided to dedicated a day to Flash Fiction. Enthusiasm for the project grew and there were events held all over the country. As a writer living in rural Dorset, National Flash Fiction Day has enabled me to join a community of writers and has offered me the chance to participate in a whole range of competitions and events to celebrate the power and immediacy flash fiction.
Hi Gail, lovely to meet you at NFFD – and weren’t the stories amazing? Flash gives us such permission to just ‘go for it’ I think, and such interesting stuff appears, sometimes!
That’s a great way of thinking about flash fiction
Glad it all went so well. You have really interested me in flash fiction so in Portugal…
I’ll be prepared with writing prompts!
Wish I’d been in the region for this get-together. Glad you all had such a good time!
It’s a long way for you to have come!