27th June 2024 – Book Launch Night
Back in June, we enjoyed a successful book launch that exhibited Parracombe at its best. The launch was the finale of the inaugural Parracombe Art and Literature Festival, a successful celebration of music, arts and the spoken word. After an outdoor supper for short story contributors and judges at village’s historic rectory, the Parracombe All Comers Choir provided entertainment at our village hall before we presented books to the winners that were able to attend. Books were then on sale to all after a dissection of a story by our editor. We finished the evening with a Parracombe band. Altogether an entertaining and fun evening.
20th April 2024 – results of this year’s competition
First Prize
I Should Have Held Him – David Longstaff
Second Prize
Something in the Air – Julian Fuller
Joint Third Prize
Marigold – Kenneth Havey
Russian Doll – Elizabeth Jane Andreoli
Local Writer’s Prize
Empty Jar – Sophie Petrie
In the anthology (but in no particular order)
Finishing Each Other’s Sandwiches – Rebecca Dyer
Bread and Circuses – Tony Oswick
Serengeti – Maureen Cullen
Casting Off – Josie Turner
The Delusion of Lady Somersby – Colin Z Smith
The Plagues of Egypt – Kenneth Havey
Dance the Pain Away – June O’Sullivan
Greyhound from Gilead – Matthew Llewelyn
Epitaph – Kim Bigelow
As Jehovah is My Witness Mary Francis
Venus and Me – Clare Reddaway
Head Trauma – Rob Waft
He’ll Get You in the End – Patricia Good
Forbidden Ground – Bruce Harris
Shifting Sands – Martin Phillips
Strange Harvest- Elizabeth Jane Andreoli
Stop Gap Woman – Christine Tennent
The Value of Continued Effort – Mike Murray
The Lost Wish – Stevie Almer
Smoke Signals – Julian Fuller
Last Christmas – Chris Sewart
Circumstance and Consequence – Philip Gibson
Risk Assessment – Rosalyn Huxley
When the earth was flat – Gerry Weber
Anticastellationist – Peter Hankins
Entrepreneur – Jack Dowd
The Church of Janice – Bruce Aiken
Vicious – David Missen
The Constance Grey – Jaci Gooding
Old Jimmy – D W Pryke
20th April 2024 – book cover design
Provisional cover design for this year’s anthology. We have kept to the theme of trees as our village is in the heart of the countryside, and the new crop of leaves emerging each spring is reflected in the new collection of stories.
16th April 2024 – Long listed stories for 2024
The judging is well under way for 2024, and we now have our long list. Congratulations to all who made it to the last 48 stories. These will all be discussed once more by our judges and a decision on the final 35 stories will be made soon. They are shown here in no particular order.
A House filled with light – Glynis Gertsch
When the earth was flat – Gerry Weber
Empty Jar – Sophie Petrie
Forbidden Ground – Bruce Harris
Casting Off – Josie Turner
A Trick of the Light – Julian Fuller
The Absinthe Drinker and the King – Emily White
The Delusion of Lady Somersby – Colin Z Smith
Strange Harvest- Elizabeth Jane Andreoli
I Should Have Held Him – David Longstaff
Water Cure – Amanda Saint
Marigold – Kennth Havey
The Plagues of Egypt – Kenneth Havey
Greyhound from Gilead – Matthew Llewellyn
Something in the Air – Julian Fuller
Smoke Signals – Julian Fuller
Russian Doll – Elizabeth Jane Andreoli
Serengeti – Maureen Cullen
The Art of Letting Go – Fiona Dignan
Finishing Each Other’s Sandwiches – Rebecca Dyer
Stop Gap Woman – Christine Tennent
The Lost Wish – Stevie Almer
Circumstance and Consequence – Philip Gibson
Off the Beaten Track – Rebecca Dyer
The Peeping Moon – June O’Sullivan
Dance the Pain Away – June O’Sullivan
Bread and Circuses – Tony Oswick
Epiphany – Peter Jones
Shifting Sands – Martin Phillips
Old Jimmy – D W Pryce
The Value of Continued Effort – Mike Murray
Entrepreneur – Jack Dowd
As Jehovah is My Witness Mary Francis
Talking Things Through – David Smith
Vicious – David Missen
Last Christmas – Chris Sewart
Risk Assessment – Rosalyn Huxley
He’ll Get You in the End – Patricia Good
Head Trauma – Rob Waft
Anticastellationist – Peter Hankins
The Constance Grey – Jaci Gooding
Making a Point – Denarii Peters
The Church of Janice – Bruce Aiken
The Exhibition of Flying Machines – Paul B Cohen
The Strange Disappearance … – John Countanche
Venus and Me – Clare Reddaway
The Swimming Pool Deal – Stephanie Percival
Epitaph by Kim A Bigelow