Please indulge me for another brief blog post as I tell you that my short story ‘A Guide to Keeping Birds’ has come joint second in the Bournemouth Writing Prize.
The report from the judges, United Agents literary agent Sophie Scard, Picador Commissioning Editor Ansa Khan Khattak and Fresher Publishing Editorial Director Emma Scattergood, said:
‘A Guide to Keeping Birds stood out for its playful and entertaining writing. Ansa Khan Khattak said: ‘The unusual form the author has used is a perfect fit for the irreverent tone. Nevertheless, as we read it becomes clear that an emotionally involving story is being told: one about caring for birds, yes, but also about a woman who has lost her husband and is now left with his pets as a memento and who must decide whether to keep them or give them away. The contrast between the interlocutor who has only memories of her husband, and the birds who have live only for today, lands perfectly at the end.’
The winner is Irish writer Alan Murrin for ‘The Wake’, and in joint second place is Bethany Wren for ‘Thirty-Six Up’. Both stories sound fantastic and I’m thrilled to be in such company!
The winning and shortlisted stories will be published in several anthologies, which will be available later this summer. I’m so delighted with this writing boost and want to say a big thanks to the judging panel, Fresher Publishing and Bournemouth University, which ran the competition with the view to amplifying new and emerging writers.
OK, that’s it, thank you for your patience. Normal, non-boasting service will resume shortly…
Photo: Jill Wellington/Pixabay
Word herding 
That’s a fantastic boost for us all. And such a warm comment from the judge. So delighted you boasted about it in such a tasteful manner.
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And thank you for your help with the story, Brenda x
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Anne, this is wonderful. Not just the second place, but those brilliant comments. I hope this win brings your work to the attention of agents and publishers (like the judges, for instance!) and I hope you’re rightfully very proud! x
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Fiona, thanks as always for your encouragement. Looking forward to seeing more of your work out in the world very soon as well!
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[…] in the Bournemouth Writing Prize run by Bournemouth University. The prizewinners’ anthology The Waves of Change was published in October. Alan Murrin’s moving winning story, ‘The Wake’, was […]
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