YOUTUBE CHANNEL VIDEOS

Here are the videos of the stories at the SSS Greatest Hits event at the October 2022 Cheltenham Literature Festival


For the Cheltenham LitFest I chose my seven favourite stories from the 69 stories in the new anthology Stroud Short Stories Volume Three 2018-2022. Their authors read them brilliantly. What a brilliant evening it was.

These are in the order in which they were read. Just click on the link or the pictures to watch on the SSS YouTube Channel. 

Huge thanks to the wonderful David Penny for the videos and to Pam Haradine for the images.


Geoff Mead
Raku


Sally Jenkinson
Sharp Stars and Old Magic




Robin Booth
Two Towns



Emma Kernahan
A Brief History of Lady Charlotte


Steve Wheeler
Puff Balls





Jason Jackson
Fat Man in Neon



Sarah Hitchcock
The Day I took my Zombie
to Alton Towers


Here are the stories for our 9 May 2021 10th Birthday Event 'Sharp Stars and Old Magic & Other Stories'

Watch/listen on YouTube via the links below


Grab a cuppa or maybe something stronger, sit back and listen to these ten great stories. All human (and some non-human) life is here. I have put the stories in an order which I thinks works well but, of course, you can pick and choose. Just click on each link.

Huge thanks to my co-judge Chloe Turner, to SSS administrator Christiane Holland, to Dr Steve Goodwin of the Cotswold Playhouse for the videos and, of course, to everyone who submitted a story. 

John 






πŸ‘‰There's more to a mob of rowdy crows than meets the eye. Kate Keogan reads The Blue in the Black of his Wing 








 πŸ‘ˆAn old man searches for a moment of supreme importance. Diana Humphrey reads That Old Tune











πŸ‘ˆAgnes never trusted the river, Sabrina - as temperamental as any goddess. Cheryl Burman reads 
Sabrina Rising





πŸ‘‰The ribald tale of the sexual misadventures of two Cotswolds housewives. David Goodland reads The Dress











πŸ‘‰Strategies for healing amputee starfish. Mhairi Gray reads Forgetting to Heal






πŸ‘ˆA foster carer receives a much-longed-for invitation from the past. Sally Jenkinson reads Sharp Stars and Old Magic





Stroud Short Stories 20th Event 'DISRUPTION' held on 8 Nov 2020

YouTube links here 

Grab a cup of tea or something stronger and click on the links to see the authors read their stories. I have placed the stories in an order which I think works well, but you can, of course, pick and choose as you wish.

This event is dedicated to the late Rick Vick - author, creative writing tutor, events organiser and SSS alumnus.

Many thanks to Dr Steve Goodwin of the Cotswold Playhouse/Amberley Music Makers for the videos; to Ali Bacon, my co-judge on this occasion; and to Stroud Book Festival for their support.




πŸ‘ˆ Stroud Short Stories Organiser John Holland introduces the event






πŸ‘‰ He followed her up the footpath and across the meadow as though retracing her route would somehow bring her back - 
Steve Wheeler reads Puffballs






πŸ‘ˆ A crack has split the town in two and even the dogs are afraid to cross it - Robin Booth reads Two Towns


πŸ‘‰ Feel the tension when three siblings come together at their mother's hospital bed - Claire Harrison reads Peace Lily





πŸ‘ˆ What happens when the Big Man says he is very, very sorry - Mark Rutterford reads Correcting an Error







πŸ‘‰ An elegy for lost love and an exploration of what can happen when you live alone - Geoff Mead reads White Christmas



πŸ‘ˆ A minor accident makes a teenage boy face up to his grandfather - 
Hannah Glickstein reads Roadkill






πŸ‘‰ How long will a man lie i the earth ere he rot? Simon Piney reads Waking the Dead







πŸ‘ˆ Is there a line that you wouldn't cross?
 Sharon Webster reads Jumping the Queue





πŸ‘‰ Isolated during a pandemic, Frank begins to suspect a connection between the virus and the climate change protesters camped outside his home - Stephen Connolly reads The Corvidae Diary





πŸ‘ˆ Death comes to Derbyshire’s fourth largest tourist attraction - Emma Kernahan reads A Brief History of Lady Charlotte, Duchess of Beaumont

If you enjoyed the stories, or just want to support SSS, why not buy the book? Six of tonight's authors have stories in the SSS Anthology 2015-18. In all there are 57 stories by 45 Gloucestershire authors. More info and links to buy here.


Although we don't record every event, below are links to 46 individual videos of authors reading at five SSS events between Oct 2016 and Nov 2019. They are arranged chronologically. Just scroll down for the links. 

I've also provided this index so, if you wish, you can choose your author and see the dates they performed and were recorded -

Peter Adams - Nov 2019
Sallie Anderson - Nov 2019
Ali Bacon - Oct 2016/Nov 2019
Georgia Boon - Nov 2019
Nimue Brown - Nov 2019
Nick Browne - May 2018
Sian Breeze - May 2017
Joanna Campbell - May 2017/May 2018
Sarah Chapman - May 2018
Alex Clark - Nov 2016
Ken Clements - Nov 2016
Philip Douch - Oct 2016/May 2017/Nov 2019
Sophie Flynn - Nov 2019
Melanie Golding - Oct 2016
Mark Graham - Nov 2016
Judith Gunn - May 2018
Sarah Hitchcock - Nov 2019
Jason Jackson - May 2017/May 2018
David Jay - May 2017
Bill Jones - Oct 2016
Pam Keevil - May 2017
Kate Keogan - Nov 2019
Natalie Lee - Nov 2016
Geoff Mead - Nov 2016
Claire Morris - May 2017
Kate O'Grady - Nov 2018
Val Ormrod - May 2018
Nastasya Parker - Nov 2017/May 2018
Jan Petrie - May 2017
Andrew Stevenson - Oct 2016/Nov 2016
Chloe Turner - Nov 2016
Rick Vick - Oct 2016/May 2018/Nov 2019
Steve Wheeler (aka Steven John) - Nov 2016/May 2018
Debbie Young - Oct 2016

Additionally, there are six AUDIO recordings from the Nov 2017 event. These are readings by Tais Brias Avila, Mary Flood, Mel Golding, Emma Kernahan, Kim Lakin-Smith and Simon Piney.

See also the SSS story PODCASTS here.

Videos of our authors reading at the 10 November 2019 event Mazurka & Other Stories

To watch the video just click on the link below the author's image. They are listed in the order in which they read at the event.

Thank you David Penny (author of the Thomas Berrington historical mysteries) for these videos.

Video: Ali Bacon reading Snowbird

Video: Peter Adams reading The Box of Skin

Video: Georgia Boon reading Choose Love

Video: Nimue Brown reading Household Management


Video: Philip Douch reading Science, Steve and the Real World


Video: Sallie Anderson reading The Art of Job Security






Videos of nine of the ten authors who read at the May 2018 event On Pulling Newts from Ponds & Other Stories


To watch the video just click on the link below the author's image. Thank you David Penny (author of the Thomas Berrington historical mysteries) for these videos.

Video: Nastasya Parker reads From Newcastle With Love

Video: Steve Wheeler reads Fashion in Men's Footwear - Late 20th Century

Video: Val Ormrod reads The IFairy

Video: Jason Jackson reads Here are the New Men

Video: Joanna Campbell reads The Journey to Everywhere

Video: Sarah Chapman reads On Pulling Newts from Ponds

Video: Rick Vick reads Surprise

Video: Nick Browne reads The Stardust Girl 
Video: Judith Gunn reads #peace


All You Need Is Love. Or Is It? Sunday 5 November 2017 - Listen to Recordings of the Stories


No video this time, but instead we have audio recordings of six of the stories being read by their authors for our 'All You Need is Love. Or is It? evening. The other four are unavailable for either technical or contractual reasons.

Very many thanks to Del Lakin-Smith for these recordings.

Click on the links under the images to listen to the stories being read by their authors and introduced by SSS organiser, John Holland  -

A Ship Called Crazy & Other Stories Sunday 21 May 2017 at the SVA in Stroud - the Stories on Video.


They are rather dark (lighting rather than contents) but the sound quality is fine.

Thank you for the videos, David Penny

Click on the links under the images to watch/hear the ten stories in the order they were performed by their authors -




Joanna Campbell reads 'Paper Sails'


David Jay reads 'Dream Noir'


Philip Douch reads 'Journeys'


Sian Breeze reads 'Spring Clean'

Claire Morris reads 'Bodgers'




The Apocalypse Alphabet & Other Stories Sunday 20 November 2016 at the SVA in Stroud - the Stories on Video

Click on the links next to the images to watch/hear the ten stories in the order they were performed by their authors -



Alex Clark reads The Thief












Steve Wheeler reads Sculpted Bones




Andrew Stevenson reads Letter of Complaint



Nastasya Parker reads The Apocalypse Alphabet

Chloe Turner reads While the Mynah Bird Watched


Natalie Lee reads The Night



Kate O'Grady reads Porange 



Mark Graham reads Wayland Smith-Warrior of the Milky Way



Geoff Mead reads The Acorn and the Oak








(Videos by David Penny. Snaps by Tim Byford. Thank you both.)




SSS at Cheltenham LitFest 10 October 2016


Watch our sell-out special fifth birthday event in the Little Big Top at the October 2016 Cheltenham Literature Festival. In fact you can choose which story or stories to enjoy. 

The sound quality is much better than for the Eerie Evening event in 2015. Many thanks indeed to historical novelist David Penny who videoed the evening.

Here are our seven authors in the order in which they read on the evening. Just click on the links below.


SSS organiser John Holland introduces the evening









Debbie Young reads The Alchemy of Chocolate







Philip Douch reads Trog and Kron Almost Get It Right







Ali Bacon reads Silver Harvest








Andrew Stevenson reads A Good Old-fashioned Copper





Rick Vick reads Seeing







Mel Golding reads A Small Change








Bill Jones reads The Vampires in the Basement