National Flash Fiction Youth Competition

 

 

The University of Chester’s English Department and Flash: The International Short-Short Story magazine have launched the National Flash Fiction Youth Competition.

Entries are welcome for stories of no more than 360 words (including the title) by UK A-level students aged 16-19.

For further information, go the competition’s website:

http://flashfictionyouthcompetition.blogspot.co.uk/

Flash, 6.1 (April 2013)

The tenth issue of Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine is now available.

It features stories from around the world, including flashes by eminent Austrian author Josef Winkler (translated by Adrian West), Argentina’s celebrated Ana María Shua (translated by Steven J. Stewart), Britain’s brilliant David Gaffney, America’s emerging talent Robert Scotellaro, and one of South Africa’s finest poets, Kobus Moolman.

The issue’s ‘Flash Presents’ section is devoted to collections for children, featuring four stories from books in Oxford University Press’s ‘Short’ series: Maggie Pearson’s Short and Shocking! (2002), and Louise Cooper’s Short and Scary! (2002) and Short and Spooky! (2005).

‘Flash Reviews’ contains an unprecedented eight reviews of a wide range of works. Books considered include The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction, Ewan Morrison’s genre-melding/bending Tales from the Mall, and Khaled Alkhamissi’s Taxi, which was first published in Egypt in 2006 and has been translated from the Arabic by Jonathan Wright.

To order a copy, or to subscribe to the magazine, visit the website:

http://www.chester.ac.uk/flash.magazine

English Department hosts the Cheshire Inter-School Performance Poetry Competition

On 12^th June the department was delighted to host the final of the inaugural Cheshire Inter-School Performance Poetry contest, held on the Chester campus of the University. Finalists from five local schools competed in this exciting new competition, judged by Dr Francesca Haig (Senior Lecturer, and Programme Leader for the BA Creative Writing). More than fifteen finalists competed, each of them having qualified through a competitive process within their own school.

The standard was very high, with polished and engaging performances from all the finalists. In the first stage of the final, each student performed a poem of their choosing. These poems ranged from the comical (‘The Day that the Telly Broke Down’ by Lindsay McCrae) to the more serious (‘The Highwayman’, by Alfred Noyes). All students performed from memory, and the event showcased an impressive mastery of both voice and action. All the performances were warmly received by an enthusiastic audience of friends, teachers and parents.

For the second stage of the final, the strongest five students from the first stage were given an unseen poem, and fifteen minutes to prepare. The poem was Roger McGough’s 'The Sound Collector', and all five finalists performed the poem with aplomb. It was fascinating to see how the students came up with different interpretations of the same material.

The competition was very close, with the uniformly high standards making it difficult to decide on winners. However, First, Second and Third prizes were awarded (with the first prize including an e-reader, to foster a continued passion for literature). The judge, Francesca Haig, noted: ‘It’s inspiring to see young students displaying such passion for poetry. Not only did the audience enjoy the performances, but the performers too were evidently enjoying the poems, and engaging thoughtfully and enthusiastically with the material.’

Double Launch of Magazine and Poetry Collection

Students and staff enjoyed a special literary event on Wednesday 8th May, with a double launch of the Pandora’s Box magazine and poetry collection by William Stephenson.

First up was William Stephenson, Reader in English Literature, for the launch of his short poetry collection Source Code. This collection was the winner of the 2012 Ravenglass Poetry Prize (judged by Don Paterson) and is William’s second poetry pamphlet to be published this year. (For more about William’s impressive year of prizes and publications, see this post.)

William read several poems from the collection. His writing is characterised by its divergence from the confessional, lyrical style that still dominates so much contemporary poetry; instead, William’s writing draws on a mind-boggling range of real and imagined scenarios, from the mundane (an eye examination in an optician’s office) to the fantastical (an imagined future in which recreational drugs are named after the authors whose writing they evoke). His writing is politically engaged, and often sharply funny.

Next came the launch of Pandora’s Box, the university’s annual Creative Writing magazine, which publishes the best writing from students and staff at the university. Edited by students in the final year of their studies in the English Department, the magazine showcases the talents of student writers, including many studying Creative Writing. General Editor Dr Francesca Haig, who works with the student editing team, explained that this year had been the most successful in the magazine’s history, with nearly 200 submissions. This year’s magazine included an exciting range of pieces, from a comical haiku to a short story that reimagines the myth of Theseus from a striking new perspective. Many of the published authors read their work, to an appreciative audience.

The well-attended launch was a great opportunity to hear some inspiring writing, and to celebrate the end of the academic year with a relaxed social event.

Copies of Pandora’s Box are available from the English Department office for £1.50.

William Stephenson reads from his latest collection

Grace Woodger reads her published poem

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The student editing team celebrates the publication of Pandora's Box

 

 

 

 

MA Creative Writing Graduate Shortlisted

Congratulations to Caroline Jones, a former student on the MA Creative Writing, who was shortlisted for The Ravenglass Poetry Press Competition 2012.

http://www.ravenglass-poetry-press.com/caroline_jones.htm

Short Cuts

Robert Altman’s prize-winning film Short Cuts (1993) was based on nine short stories and a poem by one of America’s finest fiction writers, Raymond Carver (1938-1988): ‘Neighbors’, ‘They’re Not Your Husband’, ‘Vitamins’, ‘Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?’, ‘So Much Water So Close to Home’, ‘A Small, Good Thing’, ‘Jerry and Molly and Sam’, ‘Collectors’, ‘Tell the Women We’re Going’ and the poem ‘Lemonade’.

The film stars (among many others) Robert Downey Jr., Andie MacDowell, Matthew Modine, Julianne Moore, and Tim Robbins.

The stories can be found in Collected Stories (Library of America, 2009). ‘Lemonade’ is reprinted in All of Us: The Collected Poems (Harvill Press, 1997).

For an interview with Carver, go to:

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/3059/the-art-of-fiction-no-76-raymond-carver

Visit by John Dobai, Holocaust Survivor

Holocaust survivor shares his experience with students

Students recently had the great privilege of hearing Holocaust survivor John Dobai talk about his experiences. In the Creative Writing module EN6105 Writing the Past, which focuses on historical fiction, students study the literature of the Holocaust. As part of the module, Mr Dobai came to speak to the students about his experiences of persecution as a young Jewish boy in Budapest during WWII. He also answered questions from students, and discussed how crucial it is to continue to fight prejudice today.

Students and staff from across the university were invited to attend the session, with more than 150 people coming to hear John’s inspiring talk. Mr Dobai’s visit was arranged by Dr Francesca Haig, with the help of the Holocaust Education Trust. Francesca said: ‘It was wonderful to see such a big turn-out for John’s speech. The students were moved and inspired, as was I. We’re very grateful to John for visiting the university to share his experience.’