‘Arrives and lands with a thrilling confidence, quickly establishing an atmosphere that is subtle but indelible.’ Emma Paterson on the 2019 Winner
‘Eclectic, accomplished, bursting with life – an act of literature in discovery. It pushes and pulls the reader in all sorts of directions, yet remains centred around one consistent premise: the joy of the written word’ Kit Caless
‘An amazingly diverse list. All the stories have their own unique energy and power.’ Zoe Gilbert
‘One of the best multi-author short-story collections that I have read in recent years. The 2019 Longlist achieved an impressive feat, demonstrating the variety and power of the form.’ Jarred McGinnis
First Prize: A Body Is an Empty Vessel, James Mitchell
Second Prize: Life with Animals, Rosanna Hildyard
Third Prize: Hot Butter on Repeat, Judith Wilson
Shortlist:
The Girls, Isha Karki
The Four Kind Women, Melody Razak
The Weight of Nothing, Toby Wallis
Longlist:
Black Gull Beach, Ellen Hardy
Lowenna’s mother-in-law, Holly Barratt
Olive and Red, Kerry Hood
One for Sorrow or, In the Garden of
Wasted Things, T. Schroeder
Open House, Emily Bullock
The Littoral Zone, Sylvia Warren
Our 2019 Prize Judges
She’s a co-founder of London Lit Lab, where she teaches creative writing. She was also a previous attendee of the Brick Lane Bookshop writer’s group.
Zoe says “I love stories that surprise me – be that with their form, language, imagery, plot or attitude.”
Kit is after “Writing that plays with form, writing with a strong voice, a story that hasn’t been told before.”
Emma is looking for “a story that pays attention to language, atmosphere and place, and a story that lands.”
