"The best literary festival I have ever attended."
William Trevor Sept 2006

Short stories are mood capsules uniquely suited to our restless age
and antidotes to modern life…

As the UK’s only festival devoted entirely to the short story, Small Wonder is a weekend of events encapsulating the vibrancy and potential of this exciting genre. From workshops and advice for those who write, to talks, readings and films, the festival is essential viewing for those with a love of literature.

Now in its fifth year, this innovative festival has established itself within the literary landscape as the UK’s most important event devoted to short fiction. In previous years Small Wonder has featured some of the best of UK and world talent including: William Trevor, A.S. Byatt, Zadie Smith, Monica Ali, Fay Weldon, Esther Freud and Colm Tóibín, and this year will be no exception.

Small Wonder 2008 will provide an array of thought-provoking talks, readings and debates from some of our most celebrated contemporary writers. For those who write themselves, a two-day creative writing workshop will also offer the opportunity to work with two of writing’s most exciting talents. For writers wishing to refine their work, The Open University will be running drop-in writing surgeries.

Small Wonder will be held in the barn at Charleston, between 18 - 21 September 2008.

The full programme will be available in July. To receive information on future events and the festival, subscribe to the Charleston emailing list by clicking here.