Tag: anthology

OUT NOW: ‘Who is Worth Remembering?’

Woohoo! Year six of getting accepted into the Aberystwyth MA anthology. Another tricky theme for a horror-leaning writer like me, but ‘Who is Worth Remembering’ has made it in!

Hands of Light’ is a incredibly postive-sounding theme. So, for someone like me, who likes to make everything dark and dreary, I had to think a little harder when it came to writing a piece for this anthology. I didn’t want to ruin my acceptance streak by missing the mark.

So, I went with what I love to write about: death. Who cares for the dead, once we ditch them in a hole to rot? Who remembers their names? Who is worth remembering? I don’t know about anyone else, but once I start thinking about someone dying, about how a whole person just ceases to be, I weirds me out and I get all jittery. That’s why I like writing about it, to confront the jitters head on.

From Broken Sleep books: Hands of Light gathers poetry and prose from Aberystwyth University’s Creative Writing MA around the theme of care, a word its contributors stretch in markedly different directions. What binds the anthology is its attention to ageing, illness, and loneliness, and to the modest, practical gestures through which people sustain one another.

The anthology is now available from Broken Sleep Books!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

OUT NOW: ‘Necrobiome Love Affair’ in Metamorphosis

My strange little story about the cycles of life, death, and love is now available to purchase in the Metamorphosis anthology!

So happy to be back again with another story in the Aberystwyth MA Anthology. One of the editors called my piece ‘confusingly comforting,’ which I’m pretty happy with!

As I said in my acceptance post, Necrobiome Love Affair is inspired by my current obsession of flies, maggots, and decay. It’s written from the perspective of a dead body and follows the decomposition of the corpse and its relationship to the lifecycles of flies as a metaphor for failed romances. I think people with literary gothic sensibilities will enjoy it: it’s got death, rot, and weird sexual undertones.

Metamorphosis was a great pick for the theme by the editors–there’s just so many ways you can explore it! My pre-ordered copy arrived recently I have flicked through and looked at some of the pieces. So far my favourites are DIY by Fresno Thomas and Ruina by Anna Kosik. But there’s plenty more inside, so there’s sure to be something for everyone!

Metamorphosis is available to purchase from Broken Sleep Books.
Click the link here: https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/metamorphosis

ACCEPTANCE: ‘Necrobiome Love Affair’

For the fourth year in a row, I’ve been accepted into Aberystwyth University’s MA Anthology!

This year’s theme was ‘metamorphosis’–I always like to take the themes of these anthologies and turn them into something dark, and this was a particularly fun one.

Inspired by my current obsession of flies, maggots, and decay, Necrobiome Love Affair is a short story with gothic vibes and sexual undertones.

Written from the perspective of a dead body, the story follows the decomposition of the corpse and its relationship to the lifecycles of flies as a metaphor for failed romances.

So happy my streak hasn’t been broken and very excited to see all the other pieces!