Joel Lane wins a World Fantasy Award

At the prestigious World Fantasy awards held recently in Brighton, Joel Lane won the best collection award for his superb book of connected stories ‘Where Furnaces Burn’, set in  Birmingham and the Black Country. Congratulations, Joel!

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Short story showcase

The West Midlands Readers’ Network recently commissioned six writers to create short stories in collaboration with readers’ groups. Writers met with groups of readers around the region who offered various narrative ingredients. The writers then went away and added some creative magic to conjure new stories.

Join Tindal Street Fiction Group members – Gaynor Arnold, Garrie Fletcher and Amanda Smyth as they come together with three more writers from the West Midlands – Ian MacLeod, AL Pietroni, Rochi Rampal  to showcase their stories in the new Library of Birmingham. Full event details can be found here.

Date: Dec 2nd
Time: 7 – 8.30pm
Venue: Studio Theatre, Library of Birmingham.

Wordfactory comes to the Midlands

Cathy Galvin, journalist, writer and editor, set up Word Factory to bring the very best short story writers together for readings, masterclasses and to create new work. She’s also founder of The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award.

Cathy kindly endorsed the TSFG anthology – The Sea in Birmingham  – and on Monday 21st October the Word Factory has its inaugural Midlands event in Leicester. The evening features superlative short story writers Jacob Ross, Alison MooreJonathan Taylor and Rod Duncan

For more information and tickets go to Word Factory Leicester. WF Leicester also has a Facebook page – please like to receive our updates.

Free anthology launch event draws near

SatelliteThe launch of the new Tindal Street Fiction Group anthology – The Sea in Birmingham – draws near. The event is being held at the new Library of Birmingham and hosted by Birmingham Literature Festival and supported by Writing West Midlands. 160 people have already booked for the event but there are some spaces left and the Tindal Street Fiction Group writers would love to see you there.

There will be an opening speech from eminent playwright David Edgar, followed by an introduction from the editors, Gaynor Arnold and Julia Bell, as well as readings from some of the authors and a Q&A.

You can book FREE tickets online here.

Venue: The Studio Theatre at the new Library of Birmingham
Date: October 12th 2013
Time: 6-7pm

Mick Scully’s short story success

Congratulations to Mick Scully whose story ‘The Sea in Birmingham’, has been chosen for the 2014 edition of Salt Publishing‘s Best British Short Stories series. Mick’s piece is also the title story of TSFG’s 30 year celebration anthology.

Salt’s annual series (edited by Nicholas Royle) reprints the cream of short fiction by British writers. Alan Beard’s story, ‘Staff Development’, was included in 2011, and Joel Lane’s story, ‘Those Who Remember’, featured in the 2012 edition.