Oct 11, 2021 | Joe Melia
Isidora Cortes-Monroy (above, left) has won the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize with her story, Cake for the Disappeared. Isidora’s triumph was announced at our online awards ceremony on Saturday October 9th. Judge, bookseller Tom Robinson, says the winning story is “an extraordinary mix of strangeness and poignancy and (is) an immensely difficult story to…
Oct 02, 2021 | Joe Melia
Congratulations to Avril Joy on the publication of her new short story collection, this One Wild Place by Linen Press. The book brings together some of Avril’s previously published stories and some new unpublished work. From Linen Press’ website: “Combining a poet’s gift for language with a keen naturalist’s eye, Avril Joy takes her readers…
Oct 01, 2021 | Joe Melia
We are delighted to introduce the other ten writers who are on this year’s BSSP shortlist and in the running for the top prize. Their stories will be published in our 14th anthology on October 9th. Kate Lockwood Jefford grew up in Cardiff, obsessed with books and cartwheels. She worked in the NHS and student…
Sep 30, 2021 | Joe Melia
With just over a week to go until we announce the winner of this year’s BSSP and publish our 14th anthology, please meet ten of the 20 writers in the running for this year’s first prize. We’ll introduce the remaining ten tomorrow. Gayathiri Dhevi Appathurai has an Engineering degree in Electronics & Instrumentation and works in…
Sep 29, 2021 | Joe Melia
Great news for Dizz Tate; her debut novel, Brutes, will be published by Faber & Faber in the UK and Catapult in the US in 2023, after the novel was bought in a five-way auction. Faber commissioning editor, Emmie Francis, quoted in The Bookseller said: “Brutes is a classic, virtuoso coming-of-age story – one that depicts…
Sep 27, 2021 | Joe Melia
BSSP’s collaboration with the Illustration degree course at the University of the West of England in Bristol is a very important part of our annual activity. We invite submissions from the final year students from which we select the design for our anthology cover. Big thanks to course leaders, Chris Hill and Jonathan Ward and…
Sep 23, 2021 | Joe Melia
Many congratulations to Habiba Cooper Diallo on the publication of her book, #BlackInSchool this week by Canadian publisher, University of Regina Press. From the publisher’s website: “#BlackInSchool is Habiba Cooper Diallo’s high school journal, in which she documents, processes, and resists the systemic racism, microaggressions, stereotypes, and outright racism she experienced while being Black in school…
Sep 21, 2021 | Joe Melia
Great news for 2010 Bristol Short Story Prize winner, Valerie O’Riordan who has been signed by literary agent, Tom Drake-Lee at the DHH agency. Valerie, who is co-editor at the review site, Bookmunch, senior editor at The Forge Literary Magazine and a lecturer in Creative Writing at Bolton University, says: “I couldn’t be more excited…
Sep 16, 2021 | Joe Melia
Congratulations to Liz Tresidder who has been signed by literary agent, Euan Thorneycroft at the AM Heath agency. Liz says: “I was so excited to sign with Euan at AM Heath, who took an interest in my novel after I was accepted onto the London Library Emerging Writers Programme. As an unpublished writer, being shortlisted…
Sep 08, 2021 | Joe Melia
Congratulations to Jennifer Harvey whose third novel, The Vanishing Child was published by Bookouture at the end of August. From Bookouture’s description of the novel: “A heart-wrenching and emotionally charged novel about small-town secrets and the price of facing up to the truth. Fans of Liane Moriarty, Nicole Trope and The Silent Daughter will be gripped from…
Sep 06, 2021 | Joe Melia
“[Sonal Kohli] has a way of absorbing the reader in her world, and also revealing very delicately how that world is surprising, unexpected, and in flux” says Amit Chaudhuri on Sonal Kohli’s debut novel, The House Next to the Factory, which has just been published by HarperCollins India. From the publisher’s website: “Set largely in…
Sep 03, 2021 | Joe Melia
Congratulations to Uschi Gatward whose debut short story collection, English Magic, was published by Galley Beggar Press last week. Reviewing the book in The Guardian, Lara Pawson calls it: “A striking debut collection of unsettling short stories… Reading English Magic, you catch yourself searching for clues, but this exquisite debut invites us to trust our…
Aug 31, 2021 | Joe Melia
Happy publication day to Emily Bullock and her new short story collection, Human Terrain. Published by Reflex Press, Human Terrain is Emily’s third book to be published following her 2011 Bristol Short Story Prize win. From the publisher’s website: “Human Terrain deals with female voices and working-class existences, ordinary lives transformed by loss and love……
Aug 05, 2021 | Joe Melia
Jane Healey looks set to build on the success of her award-winning debut novel, The Animals at Lockwood Manor , with the recent release of her second novel, The Ophelia Girls. Jane, who was shortlisted for the 2013 Bristol Short Story Prize, won last year’s Historical Writers’ Association’s (HWA) Debut Crown Award for The Animals…
Jul 28, 2021 | Joe Melia
It is a great pleasure to introduce the 20 writers and stories who have been selected for the 2021 Bristol Short Story Prize shortlist. The stories will be published in the Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology Volume 14 by Tangent Books in October. The anthology will be officially launched at this year’s awards ceremony when…
