Hyper-Reality

HYPER-REALITY from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

A thought-provoking video by Keiichi Matsuda. It's brilliant and by turns scary and humorous.

End of Winter

It's cold, it's wet, it's one of those days.
Yes, those days. Gifts of light,
Water, thoughts and air.

It's noisy and crowded on the train,
In the rush hour, but it's an hour
And it holds together one of our days.

In a moment of anguish, breathe
With your mind. It's a moment and
If it weren't there, you'd be dead.

We've had our days, our moments,
And come back for more.

--
Stephen Moran

Katy Darby to judge Willesden Herald competition 2016

We are pleased and not a little excited to announce the judge for the international Willesden Herald New Short Stories 2016 competition.

Katy Darby’s short fiction has won various prizes, been read on BBC Radio 4, and appeared in magazines and anthologies including Stand, Mslexia, Slice, The London Magazine and the Arvon/Daily Telegraph Anthology. She has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University and an MA in Creative Writing from UEA, where she won the David Higham Award. Her first novel, The Unpierced Heart, is published by Penguin (Fig Tree). She is a Visiting Lecturer in Creative Writing at City University, is Literary Editor of .Cent and a former editor of Litro magazine, and co-founded and directs the award-winning short story event Liars’ League.

Katy Darby

There's nothing that Katy doesn't know about short stories, especially since Liars' League recently celebrated its 100th themed live event, in possibly her 100th costume. Liars' League has given their first break to dozens of new and up-and-coming writers, with their stories brought to life by a company of superb actors. For a fiver you can catch the show every first Tuesday of the month Downstairs at the Phoenix, Cavendish Square in London's West End.

Habemus iudicem

We have some news. The investigating magistrate for the 2016 competition. Watch this space.

With a nod to Mister Burns

My love is like a dead, dead rose
That's munched up by a loon.
My love is like a dour lament
That's sung all out of tune.

As fit art thou, my giddy dame,
Oh so nauseous am I,
But I will love you just the same
And laugh until I cry.

I'll laugh until I cry, dear foe,
And rest in your bad books,
And I will love you still although
You shoot me evil looks.

--

Stephen Moran

The unaccompanied child refugee

Save our beautiful souls

Horsenden Hill Park today

On the way in from Melville Road

The bowling green

Playing fields

More playing fields