Category Archives: News

Fancy a Flash?

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FlashWalk2016_Actors JoButler TomParker

National Flash Fiction Day UK 2018 erupts tomorrow – Saturday 16th June – with events across the UK and a special trio of celebrations in Bristol.

The day unfolds with the #FlashWalk organised by yours truly.

We invited competition entries on the theme of Urban Landscapes, between 40 and 400 words in length. Wonderful submissions arrived from all over the world, and we managed to narrow it down to 12 winning entries, which will be performed by our talented actors, Ashley Green, Christopher Ryan and Poppy Hocken, during the #FlashWalk.

Ashley Green, Christopher Ryan and Poppy Hocken.

Actors Ashley Green, Christopher Ryan and Poppy Hocken

The fully guided #FlashWalk begins at 10.30am on 16th June, outside the harbourside entrance to Bristol’s M Shed. It will finish at the GreenHouse, Hereford Street, BS3 4NA (just under a mile’s stroll away), between an hour and an hour and a half later.

The GreenHouse will be the venue for the afternoon’s free writing workshops. There will also be an evening of flash fiction performances at Bedminster Library, and the launch of the 2018 National Flash Fiction Day anthology.

You can find more details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/178868469594679/,
here https://www.facebook.com/events/177406499633651/
and here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2106124046323877/

Hope to see you there!

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Ledbury Poetry Festival 2018

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Ledbury cr John EagerSome British towns seem better suited to literary festivals than others, and Ledbury in Herefordshire is ideal – with reams of streets and architecture that the word ‘picturesque’ could have been invented for. From 29th June till 8th July 2018, Ledbury welcomes back its annual Poetry Festival, which promises ten days of written and spoken riches.

This year’s highlights include poetry and mediation day retreats with Maitreyabandhu, Fiona Sampson and Matthew Sweeney, plus workshops led by Sara-Jane Arbury, and salons featuring poet Yvonne Green, with short reading slots available.

Don’t forget to enter the LPF Poetry Competition. The closing date is 5PM British Summertime on Thursday 12th July, 2018. Top prize is £1,000 plus the chance to attend a writing course at Ty Newydd (pictured below), the National Writers’ Centre for Wales.

All winners get to read at the Ledbury Poetry Festival 2019 – if abroad there is the possibility of Skyping at the winners’ event.

Ty Newydd

The image at the very top of this post was supplied by John Eager of www.visitledbury.info. The other image was supplied by the Ledbury Poetry Festival team. Many thanks!

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Wells Festival of Literature competitions

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City of Wells cr Judy Darley

Wells Festival of Literature takes place from 19th-27th October 2018, but before that they hold their annual writing competitions, with entries being accepted until 30th June 2018. As well as the usual three categories – short stories, poetry and books for children – this year sees the launch of a new category: Young Poets, open to anyone aged between 16 and 22 inclusive.

Prizes in the Young Poet category consist of 1st: £150, 2nd: £75, 3rd: £50 plus a year’s membership of the Poetry Society.

Prizes in the existing categories of Short Story, Book for Children and Poetry are 1st: £750, 2nd: £300 and 3rd: £200. There are also dedicated prizes for local authors up for grabs – the Hilly Cansdale prize of £100 for Poetry; the Wyvern Short Story prize, also £100, and £100 to the best local author of a Book for Children.

Short Story Competition
Entries may be on any subject and should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length.

Poetry Competition
Entries may be on any subject but must not exceed 40 lines in length.

A Book for Children Competition
Stories in this category may be on any subject, providing they are aimed at readers aged 9 and up, including young adult. Submit your first three chapters, plus a synopsis.
Young Poets Competition
Entries may be on any subject but must not exceed 35 lines in length.

The judges will also present prizes at a special ceremony in the Bishop’s Palace during the Festival in October. Immediately preceding this, the shortlisted poets will be invited to read their entries.

Read the full terms and conditions.

The closing date for all entries is 30th June 2018.

Find full details at www.wellsfestivalofliterature.org.uk/2017-competitions

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com

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The Fiction Desk’s Newcomer Prize

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Flash fictionThe Fiction Desk’s Newcomer Prize specifically seeks writing from new authors. It’s only open to writers who have not been previously published by The Fiction Desk, and who have not yet published a novel or collection of short stories in print.

The deadline for entries is Thursday 31st May 2018.

They say: “If you’re looking for inspiration, the winning stories from last year’s competition will appear in our next anthology, due this spring. Why not subscribe to the anthology series and receive your copy as soon as it’s published?”

Continue reading →

Enter Frome Festival Short Story Competition

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Frome rooftopsPart of the Frome Festival 2018, Frome Festival Short Story Competition welcomes submissions, with a deadline of 31st May 2018.

This small Somerset town of layered roofs is set roughly between Bath and Taunton has become a hive for writers, with the  annual festival featuring writing residencies throughout the small, characterful shops, and street performances seemingly on every corner.

The competition costs £8 to enter.

Stories may be on any theme, but must be between 1,000 and 2,200 words in length, not including the title.

First prize is £400, second prize £200 and third prize £100.

There will also be special awards for writers living within a 25-mile radius of Frome Library, in a bid to support and encourage local writers.

The Frome Festival is well worth visiting for its own charms, especially the incredible busking that takes place throughout the narrow streets.

For full details visit the competition website.

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCould(dot)com.

Submit to Unthank Books’ UNTHOLOGY

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Unthank Books' coversFancy seeing your words published by the unconventionally dazzling Unthank Books? They’re currently accepting submissions for their series of Unthologies.

Unthology 10 will be published in July 2018.

Unthank Books have an eye for the more unusual, risk-taking breed of fiction, so push yourself to your creative limits and send them your most unique pieces.

Unthology 8 coverMy story The Sculptor appears in Unthology 8, telling a story of semantic dementia and ice carving.

They say:

  • We will entertain publishing any genre of story but are looking for stories with a distinctive slant, worldview or structure.
  • Have a look at previous Unthologies before submitting. All are reasonably priced on Kindle
  • We have no wordcount restrictions for short stories
  • We don’t accept previously published work
  • Please send only one story at a time and one per submission window
  • Please include a short biography
  • Please don’t send us a story if we’ve recently published you in the most recent Unthology.
  • Stories should be emailed to Ashley Stokes at ashley.stokes@unthankbooks.com

Find full details here.

Poet and artist in residence opportunity

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Mackerel skies over Temple Meads cr Judy DarleyThe University of Bristol is seeking one poet and two artists-in-residence to commission to work with the University and local communities. The successful applicants will be expected to reflect on, imagine and daydream about the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, which is due to open close to Temple Meads in Bristol in 2021/22.

Each residency will pay up to £8,000, with each artist expected to work for around six to eights weeks within one calendar year from the start date, which is likely to be June 2018.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Tuesday 8th May. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview to present their proposals on Tuesday 22nd May.

They say: “The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will give us opportunities to work with the city, create jobs and celebrate Bristol culture. The development will turn an eyesore into a green, open campus that benefits the whole city. The new campus will concentrate on educating postgraduate students, attracting top talent from across the UK and around the world. We’re talking with communities, businesses and the Council to shape our plans, which include landmark buildings for postgraduate teaching, learning and collaboration. Work here will focus on digital technologies, the innovation they drive and how they’re used by people, organisations and industry.”

Find full details of how to apply here.

Got an event, opportunity, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com.

Enter the Bridport Prize

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Port cr Judy DarleyOne of the UK’s most prestigious writing competitions, the Bridport Prize is currently seeking submissions of short stories, flash fiction, poems and debut novels.

The deadline for all competition entries is 31st May 2018.

First things first, choose your writing species: novel, short story, flash fiction or poem.

Bridport Prize artwork cr Paul Blow

Image by Paul Blow

Poems may be up to 42 lines in length. The entry fee is £9. The winning poet will receive £5,000.

Short stories may be up to 5,000 words long. The entry fee is £10. The winning short story writer will receive £5,000.

Flash fiction may be up to 250 words long. The entry fee is £8. The winning flash fiction writer will receive £1,000.

Novel extracts may be between 5,000 and 8,000 words long, and must be from the opening chapters. You must also supply a 300-word synopsis. The fee is £20.

First prize prize is £1,000 plus a year’s mentoring through The Literary Consultancy’s Chapter & Verse mentoring scheme (worth £2,340), and a short, written report on the winning entry from the named judge.

If, after the mentoring process, the finished novel is suitable, A.M. Heath Literary Agents will have first option to represent the winner and to offer it to a publisher they recommend.

The first three chapters of the winning and runner-up novel will be published on the Bridport Prize website after 22nd October 2018.

Find full details and enter your creative works at www.bridportprize.org.uk.

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com.

Write for a Flash Walk

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Totterdown coloured houses cr Judy DarleyI’m happy to say that after a year’s hiatus, the #FlashWalk is set to return as part of the National Flash-Fiction Day celebrations on 16th June 2018. Far less seedy than it sounds (depending on the tales submitted), the Flash Walk will take place in Bristol, celebrating fiction in its shortest and most intense form.

The Flash Walk will take place in central Bristol, and your words can be part of it.

To be in with a chance of being included, all you need to do is send us a piece of flash fiction, prompted by some aspect of the theme Urban Landscape. You can take this idea in any direction you choose, using any theme and any genre, providing your tale is between 40 and 400 words in length.

Bristol can be but doesn’t have to be a source of inspiration for your submission.

The deadline for submissions is Monday 21st May 2018.

The selected stories will be shared by  actors during the walk, so if yours is chosen, all you need to do is come along and enjoy the performance!

The walk begins at 10.30am on 16th June, just outside the main entrance to Bristol’s M-Shed on the harbour side. It will finish at the GreenHouse, Hereford Street, BS3 4NA (just under a mile’s stroll away), between an hour and an hour and a half later.

The GreenHouse will also be the venue for the afternoon’s free writing workshops

To be part of National Flash-Fiction Day‘s #FlashWalk2018, submit your entries to bristolflash@gmail.com before midnight on Monday 21st May 2018. There’s no charge to enter, so why not give it a go?

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw attention to? Send an email to judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com.

Bristol Short Story Prize 2018

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Bristol hot air balloons cr Judy DarleyOne of my favourite writing competitions (and not just because it’s local), Bristol Short Story Prize 2018 is now open for entries. Flick through any of their anthologies and you’ll discover a wonderful breadth of theme, topic and style.

The closing date for entries is May 1st 2018. Submissions can be up to a maximum length of 4,000 words.

The 2017 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Dima Alzayat  for her story, Ghusl. Following her win Dima has been signed by literary agent Juliet Pickering.

BristolShortStoryPrize-vol-9-coverThe 2016 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Stefanie Seddon for her story, Kãka.

The 2015 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Canadian writer Brent van Staalduinen for his story A Week on the Water.

The 2014 Bristol Short Story Prize was won by Mahsuda Snaith for her story The Art of Flood Survival.

Find the full competition rules here.

The writing competition prizes

First prize is £1,000. Second prize is £700, and third prize is £400.

Each of the 17 remaining shortlisted finalists will receive £100.

For full details or to enter, go to www.bristolprize.co.uk.

Got an event, challenge, competition or call for submissions you’d like to draw my attention to? Send me an email at judydarley(at)iCloud(dot)com.

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