I’m publishing this a few days in advance of the actual shortest day of the year, so you can all be prepared for NZ Flash Fiction Day. That’s on June 19, just in case you don’t have it marked out on your calendars. (If you do have the shortest day circled I assume you like flash fiction, have seasonal affective disorder, or both.)
The NZFFD crew invited me to judge the youth competition a few months ago. This means I’ve been reading some great stories from some very talented young writers. The future of flash fiction is in very good hands indeed.
At the moderately uncivilised hour of 9am on that Sunday I’m also part of a panel where a lot of writers from all round the world will talk about how we managed to put together flash collections without losing our minds. Expect notecards, post-its, spreadsheets, and the agony of trying to re-order pages in Word to feature.
You can find all the information at the National Flash website
Speaking of the future of flash fiction – I’m making my awkward way through running workshops in small-town schools. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of driving, and a lot of encouraging teenagers to think of terrible ways of breaking up with someone. Current winner for most brutal: “Tell him he’s like a brother to you.” Ruthless.
And finally, my book is definitely back in stock so if you don’t have a copy you should absolutely get one. Help justify CUP’s continued faith in my weird little stories. You can order one through your nearest independent bookshop or head to http://bit.ly/10actsof
Photo by Tomas Sobek on Unsplash