Small Wonder: THE short story festival. 23-26 September 2010

An Electric Flash
With Tania Hershman and Vanessa Gebbie

Start: 6pm • Tickets: £7 (£6 Students)

Tania Hershman’s award winning Flash Stories – including the intriguing My Mother Was An Upright Piano - were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 this Summer. Her first collection, The White Road and Other Stories, was commended in the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers and included in New Scientist’s Best Books of 2008. She is currently writer-in-residence in Bristol University’s Science Faculty and editor of The Short Review. Vanessa Gebbie’s fiction has won many awards. She is the author of Short Circuit, a Guide to the Art of the Short Story and two Flash collections.

Small Wonder Slam:Winner takes all: £100! With Damian Barr

Start: 8pm Finish: 10pm • Tickets: £8 (£7 Students)

Damian Barr, host of the infamous Shoreditch Literary Salon, sets the show in motion by telling stories. He has written over 400 features for The Times and his book on the quarter-life-crisis led Julie Burchill to describe him as ‘the new ringmaster for the Jerry Springer generation.’
How the Slam Works: Write a 3 minute story to read aloud (300-350 words max) titled: The Map. Would-be competitors’ names are picked from a hat. The time limit is absolute. The audience votes for the winner.

Top tips: Practice. Remember the story must relate to the title. End with a bang. Read David Vann’s (slightly longer) mini story on the back page of the brochure for inspiration.