LABYRINTH

Delighted to have a story published in the third edition of Atticus Review. This is a piece of creative nonfiction, perhaps not an easy read, but I’m proud of it. It’s a lyrical delve into my own psyche and some of the events that happened to me in my childhood. In this issue Atticus Review states: we look deeper at the role of language in shaping our lives, our relationships, and our world. We have love languages, expressions of grief, ways of processing trauma and creating hope. As an access point, language gives shape, and is shaped by, our sense of self and our sense of community.

Many thanks to editor Rachel Laverdiere for her help in polishing the story.

Photo by Carole Raddato, used and adapted under CC.

Gone Fishing in Wasafiri

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How I love the smell of a newly minted literary magazine! I am so proud to have my short story ‘Gone Fishing’ published in Wasafiri‘s 30th birthday magazine, issue 79. This issue is actually not available to the public yet, but why not join me for the launch at the special birthday event on the River Thames when Wasafiri hosts ‘Words on the Water’ a literary boat trip on Sunday 21 September. Tickets for the event include a copy of the magazine…

My short story is included in the issue’s section on New Writers. The section is introduced with the following:

“Wasafiri has a longstanding reputation for discovering ‘the best of tomorrow’s writers today’, but if we were to try and include all the authors we know to be on the cusp of great things, we wouldn’t have enough room in a whole year’s worth of issues! Instead, we have focused on just three for this thirtieth birthday issue, all of whom cross generations in their fictional pieces, a theme which  captures the essence of this issue, which looks both back and forwards. Balvinder Singh Banga touchingly presents a loving mother – son relationship which is tested by the cruellest of conditions – poverty and ignorance. Meghna Pant’s ‘The Gecko on the Wall’ skilfully depicts a man who, as a father, cannot communicate with his daughter, but who forms a bond with the next generation – his granddaughter. And ‘Gone Fishing’ by Sandra Jensen is a sensitive snapshot of a man whose troubling present is contained within the tragedy of his family’s past. Together these stories are a powerful reminder of how the present is shaped by the past, which also shapes the future. And, most importantly, they are told by three writers whose literary futures look very bright indeed.”

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Descant Publication

 

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Descant Magazine has just published its issue 167 “Masala” on the South Asian diaspora. My piece “Even in Ruin” is in it, an edited, reworked section of my novel-in-progress, a literary adventure based in Sri Lanka during the civil war. I’m very excited about this publication, and I’ve just started reading the other stories in the magazine, some truly wonderful pieces in here. As guest editor Pradeep Solanki says, “Masala is a heady concoction of spices..” so too this wonderful edition of Descant.


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Winter News: reviews and awards

A nice little write up in The Southern Star, a local Cork paper:

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Reviews of my short story, “So Long, Marianne” in the Unthology No 3:

Sabotage – October 16, 2012 Review by Charlotte Barnes
Bookmunch – October 11, 2012 Review by Fran Slater

And my flash story, “Minotaur” was short listed for Lightship Publishing’s The Lightship International Flash Fiction Prize and will be published in their anthology in November.

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Final news from 2011

My time at the Banff Centre was wonderful. What a perfect place for artists and writers! I’m very pleased with my mentor, Marina Endicott. The online portion of the Wired Writing program is well underway and I am more than happy with how things are going. What a blessing to have Marina’s insightful comments and editing, and to have a deadline each week to force me to get to work… Marina feels I should have a final draft by the end of the mentorship period (end of March, 2012).

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In the meantime, an early draft of my novel is long-listed for the Mslexia Women’s Novel competition. Further results will be in January, 2012, and I am lucky enough to once again be accepted for the Sirenland Writers Conference in Positano, Italy next year. (See my earlier blog on Sirenland).

A flash story of mine was published in The Irish Times, “The Promise” and also in 100 Word Story, “Workout“.

Wishing everyone the best for the holidays and see you in 2012!

Write or Die is being Unthologised…

My crazed short story, Write or Die, is being Unthologised in Unthank Books Unthology No. 1. If you go to their website, you can get a free sample… and you can buy a copy or rather pre-order one as it’s only available on December 1. If you do get a copy please review it on Amazon! Unlike many anthologies, they split the 25% royalty between all the contributors so your pennies are going to a good cause: supporting starving writers ;-)

UnthologyCoverFbk“UNTHOLOGY NO.1 is the first in a series dedicated to showcasing unconventional, unpredictable and experimental stories. Containing seventeen pieces by brand new as well as established authors, this is a hard-hitting, hilarious and entertaining collection. Inside you will encounter a motley crew of animals, objects and even humans. These are tales that inject fresh venom into the shorter form.”

Unthology No. 1 Advance Information Sheet