To be young, gifted and black (Nina Simone - live)

The black orchid

Penny Arcade

And then there may be a moment
When you look into the eyes of the other
And realise they have always known.
She or he is ahead of you. They always
Cared. Or never cared at all.

Like those old mechanical horserace games.
In one race, she's ahead of you,
Everyone's ahead of you.
Yet in another game, you're far ahead
And can't be caught.

--
Stephen Moran

Love has its reasons

Love has its reasons. Not all kisses
Are the same. Not all eyes say Mystery.
Not all hands say Wrestle me,
I want to wrestle you, leg-wrestle me.

No, Love has its reasons. It's not all
Spring has sprung, needs must. It's not all
Pardon my hormones, did I spray you? I've
A head like a stone, heart like a sieve.

Yes, Love has its reasons, and so
Have I. My eyes are wide open, and so
Are yours. And that is blindness by two
When reason makes way for whoop-de-doo.

--
Stephen Moran

Any Deal Will Do

From: Farage and his Amazing Velvet-Collared Scream Coat

I closed my eyes
To vote for Brexit
Head for the exit
From the damned EU
Far, far away
Syria was weeping
Cameron was sleeping
Any deal will do

I wore my coat
With velvet collar
Cost me top dollar
Well I've got a few
And in the east
Fake news was breaking
And the bear was waking
Any deal will do

A flash of gun
An MP fell
My covert coat
Was looking swell
The black shirt underneath
Was open
I was number one

May we return
To twenty-sixteen?
The fervour's dimming
And the screams are too
Rees-Mogg and Gove
Are adumbrating
Johnson's masturbating
Any deal will do

--
Stephen Moran

Architectural joke?

Trusting and hoping this is only an alarmingly real-looking architectural joke (Fulham Palace Road)

Missing anti skid

Odd road sign, Fulham Palace Road. "Missing anti skid"

God's Own Junkyard

Neon art hub, plus cafe, hidden away on a Walthamstow industrial estate, utterly beloved by international Instagram curators. By Diamond Geezer.

The Ice-Skating Babushka of Baikal

"When this 76-year-old Russian pensioner needs to herd her cows, she skates across the frozen waters of Lake Baikal to find them." Amazing woman and a beautiful video from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (funded by the US).

Site for new flats - Wood End, Northolt

Car breakers yard (?) demolished, to be replaced with flats (Wood End). It's situated alongside the Piccadilly Line near where Wood End Road meets Wood End Gardens, Northolt. It's a pretty good location, all the better now for replacing the ramshackle car place. Though there is perhaps something to be said for ramshackle places, yes. But not that one.

Short story competition accounts for 2017 - 2019

2017

This year, I decided if we're having an intro, we should pay for that as all the other items in the book got paid, and so it was only fair. And then we had an intro last year, so I thought I'd better backdate that as well. And I also equalised the treatment for the cover in that regard. Another thing I'm going to do is pay my accountant to do the trading company accounts out of the competition proceeds. There is a reason behind that, in that the competition is almost the only commercial activity I've done this year. I never allowed for accountant fees in past years, when the company was doing other things at the same time (computer programming contracts). So here goes:

In
Entry fees: £2718.84
(445 entries @£7.50 after Submittable commision & dollar conversion)
Books sold: approx £120
(Net on approx 120 books sold, after cost, p&p.)

Out
Prizes: £1225
Commissioned texts and cover. £300
Adverts on Google Adwords: £50
Adverts on Facebook: £90
Supplies: £25 (approx.)
Book setup: £53 ($75)
Ingram catalog fee: £8.50 ($12 p.a. fee)
Books gratis, including prizes (23 x approx £5 inc p&p): £115

Web server (Webfusion): £233
Company accounts 2016/7: £654 (inc VAT - we're not VAT registered)
(I haven't counted this in previous years - could have - but I was doing more other things back then. Also I still will have to pay the accountant for 2017/8 - and I'm going to lose out on that, and I haven't shown that here, as it "hasn't happened yet".)

Totals:
+2838.84
-2753.50
-----------
=85.34

I'm quitting while I'm ahead!

2018

Hiatus - no competition, no book

2019

A new book but no competition, no entry fees, just open and free submission. No sponsorship or advertising materialised, which might have helped with costs. Book published at a considerable loss, very few sales.

Steve M

Update:

2022: We're back with a new short story competition for inclusion in New Short Stories 12.

Kingfisher keeping its head still while all else moves

Look how still this kingfisher keeps it head while hunting, incredible! #Winterwatch pic.twitter.com/QW8saez9Qo

— BBC Springwatch (@BBCSpringwatch) January 28, 2018

Cloned macaques, Rees-Mogg & Farage

My cartoon Saturday @TheTimes. Nature Notes: Cloned macaques (Rhesusmoggus farageis) #Brexit #Clones pic.twitter.com/n8rLT5xFp9

— Peter Brookes (@BrookesTimes) January 27, 2018

Slán le Dolores O'Riordan

Farewell Dolores O'Riordan, r.i.p. (1971 - 2018)

(Acoustic version of "When You're Gone" on Zacoustics by Zégut on RTL2 in Paris, France on March 21, 2007 - YouTube)

Storm Eleanor damage, Harrow

Broken window, launderette, Greenford Road

Complete Results, Biographies and Book Cover etc.

Cover (detail) by Stratos Fountoulis

I have just sent a newsletter to our 1762 subscribers, with the cover reveal, biographies, publication details etc for Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 10 and other news. Link to view online: Newsletter.

Many thanks to Stratos Fountoulis for the cover design and once again to Lane Ashfeldt, to Liars' League for continuing support over the years, and to the much-missed Willesden Green Writers' Group, who helped keep this competition going through hell & high water. And all writers everywhere, here's to you!

Available from:

• Amazon.co.uk (UK, Ireland & Europe)
• Amazon.com (US, Canada, rest of the world)
• New Short Stories (UK only)

Announcement: Willesden 2017 Results

Our 2017 judge Lane Ashfeldt says she had a great time reading (and re-reading!) all the shortlisted stories, and choosing the top three was a really tough call. She is delighted to pass on the titles of the ten winning stories selected for the book, which she hopes you will buy, read and enjoy*. And she’s looking forward to finding out who wrote them.

So without further ado, here are the winning entries, runners-up and long-listed in this hotly contested year. Congratulations to all, thanks for these marvellous short stories.

And the one-off Willesden Herald mug inscribed “Willesden Short Story Prize 2017” goes to:
1st Prize (£300) –  “Dark Song” by Roberta Dewa

2nd (£200): “Art Zoo” by Paul J. Martin
3rd (£100): “Swimming Lessons” by Douglas Hill

(The remaining seven shortlisted receive £75 each.)

Shortlist
The following will be published in “Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 10”:
A History of Fire by Gerard McKeown
Art Zoo by Paul Martin
Dark Song by Roberta Dewa
Isa’s Pitch by Maureen Cullen
Rictus by Tanvir Bush
Swimming Lessons by Douglas Hill
The Day John Lennon Died by Raphael Falco
The Fish that was not my Pa by Meganrose Weddle
The Quarry by Katherine Davey
Trespass by Roland Miles

Long List
A History of Fire by Gerard McKeown
Air by Angelina Taylor
Art Zoo by Paul Martin
Dancing Her Black Bones Home by Suzanne Conboy-Hill
Dark Rain Falling by Deirdre Shanahan
Dark Song by Roberta Dewa
Isa’s Pitch by Maureen Cullen
Out by the Lough by Sue Lovett
Overnight in the Day Room by Deirdre Shanahan
Reverse Reaction by Anna Glokas
Rictus by Tanvir Bush
Swimming Lessons by Douglas Hill
The Collectors by Michael Antoinetti
The Day John Lennon Died by Raphael Falco
The Fish that was not my Pa by Meganrose Weddle
The Lapidary by Melanie Whipman
The Nationals by Andrew Moffat
The Quarry by Katherine Davey
Trespass by Roland Miles
Winter Kale by Shannon Hopkins

There were 445 entries in total. Thank you to everyone who entered and gave us such delicious torment over the past months trying to see how we could possibly choose between so many fascinating stories.

* Coming soon: Willesden Herald: New Short Stories 10. Watch this space for news on its launch and release.

George Saunders on the art of the story

Short story writer George Saunders, winner of the Man Booker prize for 2017 for his debut novel Lincoln in the Bardo, on "how to tell a compelling and humanizing story—and how to avoid the pitfalls of a bad one."

Seasons

Don't look harshly on
the cold season that comes,
embrace it like an old friend
you might never see again.

Say something to Spring,
it's not without fears,
it's destined for the tragedy
of completeness.

Summer wants you,
Summer is not shy.
Summer won't bite you,
at least say Hi.

Take Autumn to the theatre,
something serious. Read
free verse from before the war.
But hurry.

--
Stephen Moran
(2010)

All the happy moments

All the happy moments have whirled and twirled
and flown south for the winter. This morning
a few crazy stragglers defy the rain, and down here
the heavy minutes, shaking out their feathers.

--
Stephen Moran
(2013)

Street layout improvements - Sudbury Hill Harrow

Improvement works on Greenford Road near Sudbury Hill have been going on for "quite a while". A local woman passerby volunteered, "They don't know what they're doing."

Note: It's a joint project by Ealing and Harrow councils as the area around the station crosses the boundary between the two boroughs with Ealing to the south of the railway bridge and Harrow to the north. The map in the photo is aligned north to the right and south to the left.

445 entries - Reading

The total number of entries received was 445. We're swimming in fiction here, and loving it. Hoping to have some results about end of October. Watch this space, as they say. Making more noise on Facebook and Twitter, if you are keen. There's also the newsletter, which has the advantage of not needing space to be watched.

Liars' League - Tuesday 12th at 7pm - The Phoenix, W1

FROM LIARS' LEAGUE

Our female-focused September event, Women & Girls, will feature brand new short stories by and about women (and girls), for everyone to enjoy. The six chosen pieces feature superhero(in)es, ventriloquists, obsession, depression, Victorian prisoners, charismatic polygamists, West Midlands spiritual healers, and all manner of enticing stuff besides ...

WOMEN & GIRLS WINNING STORIES 
Summer Season by Sally Syson *NEW AUTHOR*, read by Charlotte Worthing
Walk a Mile in My Shoes by Olga Wojtas *NEW AUTHOR*, read by Keleigh Wolf
Limbo by Sue Smith *NEW AUTHOR*, read by Jennifer Aries
Finding Jezza by Sally Lane *NEW AUTHOR*, read by Nicky Newman 
The Ends of the Earth by Aileen O'Farrell, read by Annalie Wilson
Le Retreat by Fiona Salter

The show's on Tuesday 12th September: doors open at 7pm and we kick off at 7.30, when the winning stories will be read by our marvellous Liars' League actresses. The night will also feature our infamous interval book quiz (with female-authored novels as prizes #readwomen) and free sweets, just because.

Tickets cost £5 on the door (cash only, no advance booking) and seating is unreserved - so it's a good idea to get there a bit ahead of time if you want a good table. Accessibility note: access to the basement bar is via stairs - there's no lift, alas.

The venue is downstairs at:
The Phoenix
37 Cavendish Square
London
W1G 0PP

P.S. We got an amazing number of submissions for this theme - more than double our usual amount - so if we get a good turnout at the event we may make Women & Girls a regular theme. If you think this is a great idea, please do come along, bring your friends and tell everyone you know, of any and every gender, about it. Ta!

Everything you ever wanted to know about ...

Liars' League presents

Link: Event listing on Facebook

Newsletter: Last call for stories. Closing August 31st

This has just gone out by email to our 1755 subscribers. You can read the newsletter online here. It has news about Lane Ashfeldt, our judge for 2017, at the Cork Short Story Festival, and more.

Anaesthesia by Adrian Horn - London Kilburn connection

Anaesthesia, a novel by Adrian Horn, set for publication in September, centres on a Kilburn family and the effect that WW1 has on them. It features local roads, shops, pubs and St Augustine’s church as well as iconic London monuments from the time like the War Office, St James’ Park, the Café Royale, Piccadilly night life etc.

"In the first frantic year of World War 1 London, Jan Strang, the son of a Swedish timber merchant and Lucy Green, daughter of a suburban postmaster become lovers, marry and live with Jan's cosmopolitan parents in Chichester Road, Kilburn. Jan introduces Lucy to a new world of experiences and temptations. But then Jan goes off to fight.

When he returns from his stint as a Second Lieutenant on the Front Line, Lucy quickly discovers he has returned a very different man from the one she married: wounded, battle-scarred and hooked on morphine. Can Lucy's love, faith and inner strength heal his deepest wounds?

With a host of memorable characters, including the scruffy terrier Tinker, the ultimately optimistic Anaesthesia takes us on a gripping atmospheric journey from a London in confusion in 1915 over to Belgium and France and back again to a war-weary London. One is left wondering which is the real battle: the one in Europe or the battle of love over addiction."

Link: www.adrianhornwriter.com