Why not watch the SSS November 2015 Eerie Evening on YouTube!

Or at least, choose the stories you want to see and hear - links below.

SSS now has a YouTube Channel so you can pick and choose the parts of the November 2015 Eerie Evening you want to see and hear.

This review by Nimue Brown from the Good on Paper website may help you decide what to listen to/watch.

The YouTube links below are in the order in which the stories were read on the evening. The sound/audio isn't perfect though.

Each videos starts with me reading the author's biography. Generally the sound quality improves for the reading as I personally seem to have achieved an indecipherable combination of slur and boom! Sadly there's more of me than usual at the beginning of our first reading (Kirsty's The Woman's Wraith) as I introduce the whole evening.

Thank you to the lovely author David Penny for the videos.

Kirsty Hartsiotis - The Woman's Wraith (includes the intro to the event)

Tony Stowell - The Spirit is Willing

Stephen Connolly - A Winter Wedding

Julie Wiltshire - The Unwanted Visitor

Daniel Gooding - Points to the Eye (read by Ed Holland)

Simon Piney - The Ghastly Rolling

Elizabeth Murphy - Breathing Exercises

Graham Bruce-Fletcher - Thrown Together

Judith Gunn - The Ghost in the Classroom

Andrew Stevenson - A Good Old-fashioned Copper


Of course, it's really no substitute for being there and we will be back as ever in the spring.


John Holland
Organiser, Stroud Short Stories

The SVA was crammed as usual for the Stroud Short Stories Eerie Evening on Sunday 15 November 2015. Thank you to everyone who came along.

Read the 21 November 2015 blog post by Kirsty Hartsiotis, our first author to read on the evening here

Here are the nine brilliant authors and one reader at the event - in the order in which they read -

Photos by Tim Byford. Thank you, Tim.

Kirsty Hartsiotis reads The Woman's Wraith

Tony Stowell reads The Spirit is Willing

Stephen Connolly reads A Winter Wedding

Julie Wiltshire reads The Unwanted Visitor

Ed Holland reads Points to the Eye by Daniel Gooding

Simon Piney reads The Ghastly Rolling

Elizabeth Murphy reads Breathing Exercises

Graham Bruce-Fletcher reads Thrown Together

Judith Gunn reads The Ghost in the Classroom

Andrew Stevenson reads A Good Old-fashioned Copper

A huge thank you to the nine authors and one reader who read at last night's SSS eerie evening (15 Nov 2015). They read brilliantly to a packed and appreciative SVA audience.

Snaps ("images") and hopefully a video of the evening will appear here.

The Line-up in Running Order for the Stroud Short Stories sold-out Eerie Evening Sunday 15 November at the SVA, John Street, Stroud. Doors 7.30 for 8.00 start.

FIRST HALF

1. The Woman's Wraith - Kirsty Hartsiotis

www.kirstyhartiotis.co.uk

http://firespringsfolktales.wordpress.com

The brand new book, Gloucestershire Ghost Tales, by Anthony Nanson and Kirsty is on sale at the event.

  

2. The Spirit is Willing - Tony Stowell

tonystowell.co.uk

  

3. A Winter Wedding - Stephen Connolly

https://planbsteve.wordpress.com/

4. The Unwanted Visitor - Julie Wiltshire

5. Points to the Eye - Daniel Gooding

Twitter  @dp_gooding

SECOND HALF

6. The Ghastly Rolling - Simon Piney

7. Breathing Exercises - Elizabeth Murphy

8. Thrown Together - Graham Bruce-Fletcher

https://gramegrief.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GrahamBruceFletcher

9. The Ghost in the Classroom - Judith Gunn

https://judithgunn.wordpress.com/

10. A Good Old-fashioned Copper - Andrew Stevenson 

The Stroud Short Stories Eerie Evening on Sunday 15 November (Doors 7.30/Start 8.00) at the SVA in John Street, Stroud has now SOLD OUT.

There will be no tickets available at the door on the evening unless pre-booked.

Fabulous. Thank you, folks. We are all looking forward to the evening.

Line-up for 15 November 2015 Eerie Evening - our Tenth Event + Ticket Information

49 Gloucestershire/South Glos authors submitted 63 stories to the judges for our 15 November Eerie Evening. The standard of submission was, as we expected, very high with about half the stories being seriously considered for our event.

Our judges, Nimue Brown and SSS organiser John Holland, chose "blind" - without knowing the identities of the authors. The ten authors selected include eight who will read at SSS for the first time.

Here they are - in librarians' alphabetical order by title - 

Breathing Exercises - Elizabeth Murphy (North Nibley)
The Ghastly Rolling - Simon Piney (Stroud)
The Ghost in the Classroom - Judith Gunn (Stroud)
A Good Old-fashioned Copper - Andrew Stevenson (Nailsworth)
Points to the Eye - Daniel Gooding (Longwell Green, South Glos.)
The Spirit is Willing - Tony Stowell (Tetbury)
Thrown Together - Graham Bruce-Fletcher (Perrotts Brook)
The Unwanted Visitor - Julie Wiltshire (Cam)
A Winter Wedding - Stephen Connolly (Cirencester)
The Woman's Wraith - Kirsty Hartsiotis (Stroud)

These are wonderful stories - strange, idiosyncratic, dark - and in two cases, very funny.

The event starts at 8pm, with doors at 7.30. We normally end the evening's proceedings at about 10pm. Come along if you can. It's going to be a great evening.

Ticketing for the event is organised by the venue - The Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA), John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA.

Tickets are £6 each (no concessions) and are available from two sources.

Firstly, Trading Post, 28 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AQ. In person and by cash only.

Secondly, online from the SVA website -
http://www.stroudvalleysartspace.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=209

(Poster by Tom Brown. Thanks Tom)

Tickets for Stroud Short Stories Sunday 15 November 2015 Eerie Evening

Ticketing for the event is organised by the venue - The Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA), John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA.

Tickets are £6 each (no concessions) and are available from two sources.

Firstly, Trading Post, 28 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AQ. In person and by cash only.

Secondly, online from the SVA website -

http://www.stroudvalleysartspace.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=209

The event starts at 8pm, with doors at 7.30. We normally end the evening's proceedings at about 10pm.

Tickets normally sell out in a week. Fly, my beauties.

Stroud Short Stories is now closed for submissions to the Eerie Evening to be held on Sunday 15 November 2015 at the SVA, John Street, Stroud at 8pm (doors 7.30).

A sincere thank you to all the writers who have submitted stories to us. They will be judged 'blind' by Nimue Brown and John Holland. We will announce the ten authors who will read their stories at our event by 2 November at the very latest.

Information about ticketing will appear here when we have it.

The Deadline is Friday 25 September at 23.59 for Submissions for our 'Eerie Evening' to be held on Sunday 15 November 2015. 

Stroud Short Stories is now accepting submissions for its one-off ‘Eerie Evening’ of short stories to be held on Sunday 15 November 2015, the deadline for which is Friday 25 September at 23.59. 

Ten stories will be selected from those submitted to be read by their authors at a packed and appreciative Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA), John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA at 8pm (doors 7.30). 

It will be our tenth event.

As this is a special ‘Eerie Evening’ we are looking for stories which are strange or odd or spooky or bizarre, creepy, ghostly, ghastly, scary, supernatural, uncanny, weird or spine-chilling. Spoofs and pastiches are very welcome too.

We are again seeking stories from writers from across Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

As ever it’s free to submit, and you may submit stories which have been previously published or are unpublished. Up to 1,500 words.

Submissions are judged "blind", the judges not knowing the authors' identities. We have a new judge for this event. Writer Nimue Brown will be judging with SSS organiser John Holland. See Judges for more information. 

We are greatly looking forward to reading your stories. 

Click on the tabs above, or links below, for more information about the rules and how to submit your stories -

How to Submit

Rules

Judges

Our submissions email is  submissions.sss@gmail.com

Please read The Rules and How to Submit before submitting your story. Thank you.

Keep up to date on Twitter -

StroudShortStories@StroudStories

The Stroud Short Stories Anthology 2011-15 is now on sale 

Buy online directly from Lulu (£8 plus postage) here -

http://www.lulu.com/shop/nimue-brown/stroud-short-stories-vol-1/paperback/product-22134638.html

Or from our local stockists Trading Post (£10) at 26 Kendrick Street, Stroud, GL5 1AQ Tel 01453 759116.

The book is in paperback format (235 pages) and contains 80 stories by 57 authors - nearly every story read at the nine SSS events from the first in June 2011 to the latest in April 2015.

It is edited by Nimue Brown with a cover design by Tom Brown 

Buy the brand new SSS Anthology 2011-15

The first Stroud Short Stories Anthology 2011-2015 is now available to order - at a cost of £10. Come along to our launch on Friday 8 May from 7.00pm at the Ale House in John Street, Stroud (just up from the SVA) to buy one. Or pre-order to ensure your copy by emailing editor Nimue Brown brynnethnimue@gmail.com

Stroud Short Stories Event Sunday 19 April at SVA

A large and noisily supportive audience crammed into the SVA to hear ten of Gloucestershire's most talented writers read their superb stories. Thank you and congratulations to these brilliant authors.

Read Debbie Young's blog about the evening here

Here are the authors - in performance order -

(Photographs by Tim Byford. Thanks, Tim)

Martin Spice - Le Fromager

Philip Bowne - Cows Can't Jump

Debbie Young
 The Alchemy of Chocolate

Rick Vick - Ways of Seeing

Katherine Mitchell - Daffodils

Anthony Hentschel -
The Giant meets the Christ-child

Rod Griffiths -
The Sweetest Smile

James Sinkinson - The Casablanca

Chloe Turner - The Bronze Garden

Mary Omnes - The Spinsters

Thank you who everyone who turned out last night (Sunday 19 April) for the sell-out SSS event at the SVA. They enjoyed a evening of memorable stories told by extremely gifted short story writers. 

Undoubtedly one of the best SSS events of all. It was an honour for Stroud Short Stories to showcase such talent.

More here - read Debbie Young's wonderful blog.

The Alchemy of Chocolate and Other Tales

The next Stroud Short Stories event is on Sunday 19 April 2015 at the SVA, John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA. Doors 7.30 for prompt 8.00 start. Tickets have sold out.

These are the stories and authors chosen - in the running order for the evening.

Le Fromager - Martin Spice (Nailsworth)

Cows Can't Jump - Philip Bowne (Cheltenham)

The Alchemy of Chocolate - Debbie Young (Hawkesbury Upton, South Glos.)

Ways of Seeing - Richard Vick (Stroud)

Daffodils - Katherine Mitchell (Brimscombe, Stroud)

The Sweetest Smile - Rod Griffiths (Cheltenham)

The Giant meets the Christ-child - Anthony Hentschel (Nailsworth)

The Casablanca - James Sinkinson (Wotton-under-Edge)

The Bronze Garden - Chloe Turner (Wotton-under-Edge)

The Spinsters - Mary Omnes (Stroud)

SSS organiser John Holland is being interviewed today (Tues 14 April) on Chris Baxter's Show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire after 4pm. It's a double header with A Feast of Stories organiser Philip Douch.

19 April Stroud Short Stories event is SOLD OUT

All tickets for the 19 April Stroud Short Stories event, The Alchemy of Chocolate and Other Tales, have now sold out. Thank you to everyone who bought tickets.

The SVA's venue is now full. There will be no ticket sales at the door.

It should be a great night.

The Alchemy of Chocolate and Other Tales

The next Stroud Short Stories event is on Sunday 19 April 2015 at the SVA, John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA. Doors 7.30 for prompt 8.00 start. Tickets online in advance only (details below).

SSS organiser, John Holland writes -

A record-smashing 91 Glos/South Glos authors submitted a total of 128 stories for our April event. A heartfelt thank you to all those authors. The very high quality of the writing made my decisions very difficult indeed - certainly the most difficult of any SSS event I have organised. Eventually, I made a long list of over 40 stories, all of which worked really well, and then narrowed it to 25, which were, in my view, of a standard that meant they could well have been selected for previous SSS events. It was sad not to be able to select more than ten.

These are the stories and authors chosen - in the running order for the evening.

Le Fromager - Martin Spice (Nailsworth)

Cows Can't Jump - Philip Bowne (Cheltenham)

The Alchemy of Chocolate - Debbie Young (Hawkesbury Upton, South Glos.)

Ways of Seeing - Richard Vick (Stroud)

Daffodils - Katherine Mitchell (Brimscombe, Stroud)

The Sweetest Smile - Rod Griffiths (Cheltenham)

The Giant meets the Christ-child - Anthony Hentschel (Nailsworth)

The Casablanca - James Sinkinson (Wotton-under-Edge)

The Bronze Garden - Chloe Turner (Wotton-under-Edge)

The Spinsters - Mary Omnes (Stroud)

It is inevitable, in the end, that the choices made were personal ones, but I love these stories, and hope that you will too. Huge congratulations to the authors. I have no doubt that they will provide a most stimulating evening's entertainment.

Tickets are only available online in advance from the SVA/Site Festival website. This is because we had to turn people away at the door last time.
Please be warned - from my personal experience of buying a ticket, it is emailed to you but may well go to your Spam inbox, so please check! Be warned too that we will sell out.

Anthology - Only a few copies of the first Stroud Short Stories Anthology 2011-2015 will be available at the 19 April event. Instead there will be a launch/get-together at The Ale House in John Street on Friday 8 May from 7pm onwards. Pre-ordered copies must be collected then and not at the 19 April event.

We are now closed to submissions for the 19 April Stroud Short Stories event. 

I am very grateful, indeed completely humbled, by the receipt of 128 stories submitted by 91 Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire authors, figures which obliterate all previous records.

Huge thanks too to Christiane, our administrator, for recording, spreadsheeting, compiling, querying, maintaining the authors' anonymity and only sometimes arguing with me.

I have been reading the stories as they arrive, but there remains a huge task in deciding the final ten. I intend to make an announcement by 8 April at the very latest - earlier if I can.

When our friends at the SVA make tickets available online I will post that information immediately.

John Holland 
Organiser, Stroud Short Stories
stroudshortstories@gmail.com

Stroud Short Stories is now accepting submissions for its event to be held on Sunday 19 April 2015 (earlier this year in line with Stroud’s Site Festival), the deadline for which is Saturday 21 March at 23.59. Ten stories will be selected from those submitted to be read by their authors at Stroud Valleys Artspace (SVA), John Street, Stroud, GL5 2HA at 8pm. It will be our ninth event.

For the two events last year the SVA sold out with 80 people packed into the venue.  Tickets for the April 2015 event will be available online in advance from the SVA/Site Festival website some time in March.

For the 19 April 2015 event we are again seeking stories from writers from across Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

Excitingly, we are also publishing an anthology of short stories from all eight events to date, and also the opportunity for the stories selected for the April 2015 event to be included.

We are greatly looking forward to reading your stories. 

Click on the tabs above or links below for more information.

How to Submit

Rules

Judges

Anthology

Our submissions email is  submissions.sss@gmail.com

Our general email is  stroudshortstories@gmail.com

Keep up to date on Twitter   Stroud Short Stories@StroudStories