We are Open for your Submissions for our special 20th Event on 19 April 2020

The next SSS event is on the theme of DISRUPTION and will take place on Sunday 19 April 2020 at 7.30 (doors/bar 7.00) at the Cotswold Playhouse in Stroud. 

We are open for submissions from Gloucs/S.Gloucs writers until Sunday 8 March at 23.59 ie one minute to midnight.

This event is dedicated to the late Rick Vick - poet, creative writing tutor, events organiser and SSS stalwart. The Stroud News article on Rick is here. The Guardian obituary is here.

This is also our 20th event since our inception in 2011.

Try to think of the theme of DISRUPTION as widely as possible. Almost anything can be disrupted - lives, relationships, work, health, peace and quiet, law and order, traffic, events, games, sport, sleep, short story readings, the status quo, city/town/village life, society in general. They're just examples. You will be able to think of even more, I'm sure.

As always we welcome any take on the theme including the funny and ironic.

I am co-judging with author Ali Bacon this time. We both read all stories, and we do it 'blind' ie without knowing the writer's name.

See our Rules and How to Submit here.

Information about the Judges here.

We really want to read your stories on this theme. Let's make this a great event.

Tickets on sale from Cotswold Playhouse website from 20 March.

John 

You can now watch the videos of our authors reading their stories at our 10 November 2019 event Mazurka & Other Stories

Just use the the link above to access our YouTube Channel or click here.

The stories are separate videos so you can pick and choose.

A huge thank you to David Penny, author of the Thomas Berrington historical mysteries, (in seat C9) for the videos.

John

Images from our 10 Nov 2019 event 'Mazurka & Other Stories'

The event, which was our 19th, and our second at the 150-seater Cotswold Playhouse, was sold out in advance. Our ten authors performed their brilliant stories wonderfully. 

Huge thanks to them for submitting to SSS and also to everyone who bought tickets and came along to the event.

Here are our authors on the night in the order in which they performed. Many thanks to Tim Byford for the images.

Ali Bacon who read 'Snowbird'

Peter Adams who read 'The Box of Skin'

Georgia Boon who read (and sang) 'Choose Love'

Nimue Brown who read 'Household Management'

William Vick who read 'Mazurka' by his father Rick Vick

Philip Douch who read 'Science, Steve and the Real World'

Sophie Flynn who read 'Saving Grace'

Sallie Anderson who read 'The Art of Job Security'

Kate Keogan who read 'The Truth and Several Lies about Butterflies'

Sarah Hitchcock who read 'The Day I Took my Zombie to Alton Towers'

10 November event SOLD OUT + The Ten Authors and Stories + Podcasts

Tickets for our event 'Mazurka & Other Stories' on Sunday 10 November at the 150 seater Cotswold Playhouse have now SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets.

This is the 14th SSS event in succession to sell out. 

Please note the start time is 7.30 (bar and doors 7.00). This is our new regular start time.

The event is part of the Stroud Book Festival.


The Ten Authors and Their Stories

I am delighted to announce the authors and titles of the stories for our 19th event at the Cotswold Playhouse on Sunday 10 November. 

84 Gloucestershire/South Gloucestershire writers submitted 115 stories. We have shared with those authors our Long List of 33 stories and then our 16-strong Short List. 

These are the ten stories which my co-judge Chloe Turner and I have selected for this event (in librarians' alphabetical order) -

The Art of Job Security - Sallie Anderson (Cheltenham)
The Box of Skin - Peter Adams (Edge, nr Stroud)
Choose Love - Georgia Boon (Stroud)
The Day I Took my Zombie to Alton Towers - Sarah Hitchcock (Rodborough, Stroud)
Household Management - Nimue Brown (Stroud)
Mazurka - Rick Vick (Stroud)
Saving Grace - Sophie Flynn (Moreton-in-Marsh)
Science, Steve and the Real World - Philip Douch (Stroud)
Snowbird - Ali Bacon (Emerson's Green, South Gloucs)
The Truth and Several Lies about Butterflies - Kate Keogan (Gloucester)

Huge congratulations to these authors.

The event will be called 'Mazurka and Other Stories'.

As is usually the way with our events, we have newcomers to SSS. I am delighted to welcome Sallie, Georgia and Kate, all of whom are new to us. They will be the 109th, 110th and 111th authors to read at an SSS event.

I'm just as pleased to welcome back everyone else, notably SSS 'veterans' Nimue, Peter, Philip and Rick, all of whom, in my opinion, have been away too long.

Commiserations and my gratitude to everyone who submitted but didn't quite make it this time. Remember that judging events like ours and competitions is subjective. Your efforts will be rewarded if you keep writing.

Story Podcasts
We now have all five brilliant stories from our new series of podcasts available to you. These are stories by Steve Wheeler, Joanna Campbell, Alwin Wiederhold, Alex Clark and Jason Jackson.

Listen where you normally hear podcasts or check out our links here.

John 

Oct/Nov 2019 Stroud Short Stories Podcasts

While we all await the decisions on the ten stories to be read by their authors at our event on 10 November, why not fill the time by listening to the first of our new Story Podcasts?

These story podcasts are available from your normal podcast provider - iTunes, Spotify, Sound cloud etc - by simply searching for 'Stroud Short Stories'. Or you can use the link below.

We'll be having stories by Joanna Campbell, Steve Wheeler, Alex Clark and Alwin Wiederhold - all newly recorded for your listening pleasure.

But the first podcast is a new recording of Jason Jackson reading his story 'Fat Man in Neon' from the May 2019 SSS event 'Incendiary!'. Jason, from South Gloucestershire, is a much published, much decorated short fiction author and here he is at his stunning best with a story both dark and surreal. Not for the faint-hearted!

Here it is - http://stroudshortstories.blogspot.com/p/podcasts.html

John 

We are now closed for submissions for our 10 November event. Thank you for your submissions.

A huge THANK YOU to the 84 Gloucs/South Gloucs writers who submitted 115 stories for our 19th event. Our third highest number of submissions ever.

We are reading them now. 

The titles of the ten stories selected and the names of their authors will be published here by Thursday 10 October.

TICKETS, priced at £8, go on sale from the Cotswold Playhouse website from Friday 11 October.

The event, which is part of the Stroud Book Festival, is on Sunday 10 November at 7.30 (doors 7.00) - PLEASE NOTE EARLIER START TIME - at the Cotswold Playhouse, Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW.

If you haven't already, why not subscribe to SSS newsletters so you don't miss a thing?

We are open until 23.59 on Sunday 29 September for your submissions to the next SSS event on Sunday 10 November 2019 

We are open for short story submissions from Gloucestershire/South Gloucestershire-based writers to our 19th event. 

We will close at the end (23.59 ie one minute to midnight) of Sunday 29 September.

Our event will be on Sunday 10 November 2019 at the Cotswold Playhouse in Stroud. (There's a new start time - 7.30. Doors open at 7.00).

This event is part of the Stroud Book Festival, so if you want to read to an audience of 150 people at the Festival you know what you have to do...

It is an open theme this time. Let your imagination be your guide and write about anything you like - so long as it's a short story up to 1,500 words.

As usual we will select ten stories to be read by their authors on the night.

It's free to submit and we accept both unpublished and published work.

Check out the Rules and How to Submit here.

I have a new co-judge this time. The brilliant short story author Chloe Turner, who has read four times at SSS, is making the decisions with me. Chloe's first collection of stories Witches Sail in Eggshells, has just been published by Reflex Press. 

More info on the judges here.

All stories are read by both judges and the judging process is undertaken 'blind' ie without knowing the identity of the authors of the stories until after the final decision is made.

Check out the Rules and How to Submit here.

Don't miss a thing about submitting or buying tickets by subscribing to SSS newsletters here. It's free - and easy to unsubscribe.

We can't wait to start reading your stories.

NB Tickets, priced at £8, for the 10 November event will go on sale from Friday 11 October on the Cotswold Playhouse website. Our last 13 events all sold out in advance.

John

Stroud Short Stories Anthology 2015-18 is mentioned in Best British Short Stories 2019

I interrupt our promotion of the next SSS event (details on how to submit below), to tell you that we are absolutely thrilled that Nicholas Royle, the editor of the annual publication Best British Short Stories, has referred to our anthology in the newly-published Best British Short Stories 2019.

He also specifically praised the stories 'The Thief' by Alex Clark (p.83) and 'The Journey to Everywhere' (p.222) by Joanna Campbell. Praise indeed.

Encouraged by the publication of a story by my co-judge Chloe Turner in BBSS 2018, I sent Nicholas a copy of our anthology on publication. Given how many hundreds of anthologies are published each year I am chuffed he liked it enough to refer to it in his forward.

The anthology is still available. More about it here.

Our next event - 10 Nov 2019 + Dates for your Diary + New Judge + New Start Time

Our 19th event will be on Sunday 10 November 2019 at the Cotswold Playhouse in Stroud. It will start earlier than usual - at 7.30 (doors 7.00).

This event is part of the Stroud Book Festival, so if you want to read at the Festival you know what you have to do...

We will open for submissions (free as usual!!) on Sunday 18 August and close on Sunday 29 September.

It will be an open theme this time. Let your imagination be your guide and write about anything you like - so long as it's a short story up to 1,500 words.

As usual we will select ten stories to be read by their Gloucestershire/South Gloucestershire-based authors at our event.

I will have a new co-judge this time. The brilliant short story author Chloe Turner, who has read four times at SSS, will be making the decisions with me. Chloe's first collection of stories Witches Sail in Eggshells, has just been published by Reflex Press. More info on the judges here.

Check out the Rules and How to Submit here.

Don't miss a thing about submitting or buying tickets by subscribing to SSS newsletters here.

We can't wait for August when we can start reading your stories.

Tickets will go on sale from Friday 11 October on the Cotswold Playhouse website.

John

Author Snaps from Incendiary! our 19 May 2019 Event + Info about our November 2019 Event

Thank you to everyone who came along to our new venue, the Cotswold Playhouse in Parliament Street, Stroud, which was completely sold out for our 18th event.

Special thanks and congratulations to the ten brilliant authors (see snaps below) whose work we selected and who read/performed so wonderfully. There was general agreement that the quality of story and performance made this one of the best ever SSS events. I am so pleased that we were able to share it with a supportive audience of 150 short story lovers.

Our next event will be on Sunday 10 November at the Cotswold Playhouse, and will be part of the Stroud Book Festival. Please note that, for the first time, it will start at 7.30 (doors 7.00). There will be no theme and we will open for your story submissions from late August. More info will follow.

Here are our authors from Sunday 19 May in the order in which they read. (Because of our legendary Rule 11 none of these authors will be reading again in November.)

Huge thanks to Charlie Bryan for the photography -
https://www.charlie-bryan.com/

Steve Wheeler aka Steven John - Burning the Stubble

Louise Elliman - Something About Me

Michael Hurst - Mobbed

Alwin Wiederhold - Echoes

Emma Kernahan - The Slip

Chloe Turner - Is It My Hammered Heart?

Robin Booth - Marcie

Jason Jackson - Fat Man in Neon

Joanna Campbell - Aurora and the Book Trolley

Geoff Mead - Raku

The Running Order for our Sunday 19 May Sold-Out Event Incendiary!

Thank you again to everyone who has bought tickets for our completely sold-out event at the 150-seater Cotswold Playhouse in Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW. 

Here is the running order -

1. Burning the Stubble - Steve Wheeler (aka Steven John) (Sheepscombe)

2. Something About Me - Louise Elliman (Cirencester)

3. Mobbed - Michael Hurst (Prestbury, Cheltenham)

4. Echoes - Alwin Wiederhold (Hucclecote, Gloucester)

5. The Slip - Emma Kernahan (Stroud)

INTERVAL

6. Is it my Hammered Heart? - ChloeTurner (Minchinhampton)

7. Marcie - Robin Booth (Brimscombe, Stroud)

8. Fat Man in Neon - Jason Jackson (Kingswood, South Gloucs)

9. Aurora and the Book Trolley - Joanna Campbell (Bisley)

10. Raku - Geoff Mead (Kingscote)


The event starts at 8pm. Doors 7.30. There is a bar.

John 

SOLD OUT

Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets for our Sunday 19 May 2019 event Incendiary at the 150-seater Cotswold Playhouse in Stroud. The event is now completely sold out - with two weeks yet to go.

Podcasts + Tickets now on sale for Incendiary! our 19 May event + The Ten Stories and Authors announced

From 12 April to 17 May we are releasing weekly podcasts of stories from the last two years SSS events. These are being read by their authors - Melanie Golding, Katie Witcombe, Emma Kernahan, Geoff Mead, Chloe Turner and Nastasya Parker.

Listen here. 

Our 18th event, Incendiary!, takes place on Sunday 19 May at 8pm (doors 7,30) at our new venue, the spacious and comfortable Cotswold Playhouse, Parliament Street, Stroud GL5 1LW. Ten authors (see below) will be reading the stories specially selected for the event.

Tickets, priced as usual at £8, are now on sale on the Cotswold 
Playhouse website -

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/638976

You can also order tickets by phone - 0333 666 3366. The Playhouse charges a £1.75 booking fee for telephone bookings.

Please note that Stroud Short Stories does not sell tickets.

Unlike our former venue, the SVA, the Cotswold Playhouse uses allocated seating (tickets with seat numbers so you can choose your seat when you book). 

The seating is raked/tiered so the seats even at the back offer excellent views - and are very comfortable.

The Playhouse is a four minute uphill walk from the car park on Parliament Street opposite Stroud Police Station (car park post code  GL5 2HL). The car park is free in the evening. I know it's four minutes because I walked it last Monday - and believe me I am not a fast walker these days. The alternative is street parking.

Do please come along, but do not tarry in buying your tickets. The last twelve events all sold out well in advance (the last one in just six hours!), although that was at the SVA which has half the capacity of the Playhouse! Nevertheless I expect there to be plenty of interest in ticket sales.

The Cotswold Playhouse has a bar!

Authors/Stories for 19 May event Incendiary!

Thank you to everyone who submitted stories for Incendiary!, our 18th event on Sunday 19 May at our new venue, the Cotswold Playhouse. The total of 89 Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire writers who submitted 113 stories is a record.

Believe me, my co-judge, Ali Bacon, and I had our work cut out. We really enjoyed the vast majority of the stories, and produced a Long List of 46 and a Short List of 21 stories before deciding the Final Ten. All these lists have been shared with the writers who submitted.

These are the stories you will hear on the night (not in this order) -

Aurora and the Book Trolley - Joanna Campbell (Bisley)

Burning the Stubble - Steve Wheeler (aka Steven John) (Sheepscombe, Stroud)

Echoes - Alwin Wiederhold (Hucclecote, Gloucester)

Fat Man in Neon - Jason Jackson (Kingswood, South Gloucs)

Is it my Hammered Heart? - Chloe Turner (Minchinhampton)

Marcie - Robin Booth (Brimscombe, Stroud)

Mobbed - Michael Hurst (Prestbury, Cheltenham)

Raku - Geoff Mead (Kingscote, Tetbury)

The Slip - Emma Kernahan (Stroud)

Something about me - Louise Elliman (Cirencester)

It's always exciting to welcome new writers, in this case, Alwin, Louise and Robin who will be the 106th, 107th and 108th authors to read at SSS.

Huge congratulations to these ten authors who will be reading/performing. The competition was incredibly intense, and the overall standard of submission extremely high. Commiserations especially to those on the Short List, the stories on which were so excellent.

The evening will be brilliant. The authors of the stories we have chosen each create their own individual fictional universe. There will be death, love, ornithology, sex, anger, pottery, rebellion, fudge shops and of course, there will be a library book trolley. But most of all there will be FIRE!

Thank you again to EVERYONE who submitted. It's going to be an amazing evening.

NB This event will not be videoed.

John 

Incendiary! - Submissions are now closed + It's a record + Ticket info

Submissions are now closed for our 19 May 2019 event 'Incendiary!'. A huge thank you to all 89 Gloucestershire/S.Gloucs authors - the highest ever number - who submitted 113 stories - the highest ever number for a themed event.

My co-judge, author/novelist Ali Bacon and I will select ten stories to be read by their authors on Sunday 19 May at The Cotswold Playhouse in Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW. Doors open at 7.30. It starts at 8.00. 

The announcement of the ten stories and their authors for our 19 May event will be made by Thursday 11 April at the latest.

Tickets

From Friday 12 April, tickets, priced as usual at £8, will be on sale on the Cotswold Playhouse website -

https://www.cotswoldplayhouse.co.uk/ 

You can also order tickets by phone - 0333 666 3366.

Unlike our former venue, the SVA, the Cotswold Playhouse uses allocated seating (tickets with seat numbers). The authors of the ten selected stories will be provided with a free allocated seat in the auditorium. Family and friends will need to buy tickets.

Do please come along, but do not tarry. The last twelve events all sold out well in advance (the last one in just six hours!), but that was at the SVA which has half the capacity of the Playhouse. Nevertheless I expect there to be plenty of interest in ticket sales.

There is a bar!

John 

We are open for your submissions until Sunday 31 March at 23.59

The 18th Stroud Short Stories event will take place on Sunday 19 May 2019 at 8pm (doors 7.30) at the Cotswold Playhouse, Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW.

We are still open for your submissions but close at 23.59 (one minute to midnight) on Sunday 31 March.

We have a theme this time. It's Incendiary! - in line with the exciting exhibitions and events taking place in Stroud this year. So we are looking for stories about fire, heat, passion, anger, burning, incineration, insurrection, revolution, large or small acts of rebellion, explosions, inflaming the senses.

Please think of these themes as widely as possible - both metaphorically/emotionally as well as literally/actually. 

We are looking for well-crafted and engaging short stories, which will entertain, excite and inspire our audience. As ever, the dark, the ironic and the funny are very welcome.

And, of course, it's free to submit.

Rules and How to Submit here

My co-judge (for the third time) will be brilliant short story author/novelist Ali Bacon. We will select ten stories to be read by their authors on Sunday 19 May at The Cotswold Playhouse in Parliament Street, Stroud, GL5 1LW. Doors open at 7.30. It starts at 8.00. There is a bar!

We are delighted to be holding our event at this brilliant venue. As you may know, we were asked to leave the SVA after seven years because we had "outgrown" it. So having completely sold-out the SVA's 70-seater room in advance twelve times in succession (in May in less than six hours), we are hopeful that the Cotswold Playhouse's 150 seat auditorium will allow everyone who wants to attend to be there. 

TICKETS, priced as usual at £8, will be on sale on the Cotswold Playhouse website - https://www.cotswoldplayhouse.co.uk/ - from Friday 12 April.

Ali and I are really looking forward to reading your stories. So if you want up to 150 short story lovers to hear your story you know what to do...

Rules and How to Submit here

Subscribe to Stroud Short Stories newsletters and emails, so you don't miss a thing, here

More info about the judges here

How to buy our new anthology 2015-18 here

Watch/listen the authors at past events read their stories here


John