The sky was dying a red death when we eventually reached the swamp. We’d been walking for so long that the village was nothing more than a huddled mass of black teeth jutting from the rolling hills behind us. I couldn’t even make out my house anymore. “Could’ve just gone to the rec,” I grumbled. … Continue reading Surface Tension by Andy Banks (1st place Oct19)

‘I remembered the nail clippers, mum.’  If she had the strength to look down and see the state her fingernails had gotten into, she would have been mortified.  If she heard me, she didn’t flinch.  Not so much as a quiver of her eyelids.  I tended to her nails as she slept.  It gave me … Continue reading When Death Calls by Claire Wilson (2nd place Oct19)

It’s weird but when people have been saying the same thing to you over and over for years, it’s really hard to remember when it first began. So I can only guess it must have started when I was about eleven or twelve.  It spooked me a bit at first – the way someone in … Continue reading Spitting Image by Gwenda Major (3rd place Oct19)

The biggest crop of entries we've had so far for this quarter's competition, which has made the job of choosing the three placed stories more difficult than ever. After much deliberation over the longlist, though, they have now been selected. Congratulations to: 1st: Andy Banks - Surface Tension 2nd: Claire Wilson - When Death Calls … Continue reading October 2019 – Shortlist and winners

Brenda pulls the mop from side to side across the kitchenette floor, slapping it to the kickboards on either side. It’s too wet, and she curses herself for not wringing it out enough in the first place, because now the floor won’t dry in time so she’ll have to give it another once over. ‘Morning, … Continue reading Brenda Has The Patience To Endure It by Joanne Leonard (1st place Jul19)

The loudspeaker crackles and all the passengers look up expectantly. I strain to hear but can only make out the muffled words: ‘Ealing Broadway’ and ‘delays’. I sigh. ‘Bloody hell,’ the man next to me says. ‘Always the same.’ The temperature in the subterranean world is stifling and sweat is beading on his forehead. I … Continue reading Hypogeal by Michele Seagrove (2nd place Jul19)

I go to Waitrose every Saturday morning to eye up the men I wish I’d married. I leave my reusable, upcycled cup in the bike trailer and queue for a complementary flat white served in a single use waxy cup that will take longer to decompose than my still living corpse. Then I meander like … Continue reading Reduce Reuse Recycle by Sonia Trickey (3rd place Jul19)

Our quarterly short story competition is clearly growing in popularity, with even more entries this time round than for our first. Once again, the judges thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries we received, and the job of chosing our placed stories was even more difficult. After much deliberation over the longlist, the three placed stories have … Continue reading July 2019 – Shortlist and winners

Another great response to our most recent short story competition, with some excellent stories spanning all sorts of different genres. The first round of judging has taken place, and we’re delighted to reveal our long list of authors for the July 2019 competition: Jeremy Green James Harvey John Holland Lynda Kirby Joanne Leonard Fraser Lucas … Continue reading July 2019 – Long List