Writing / Flash Fiction Festival
Return of the Flash Fiction Festival celebrates the ‘short-short story’
Returning to Trinity College in Stoke Bishop on weekend of July 17-19, the Flash Fiction Festival is a celebration of the ‘short-short story’ from all over the world.
Now in its eighth year, the event will feature readings, workshops, book launches, a dedicated festival bookshop, fundraising for Penny Brohn Cancer Centre, and plenty of opportunities to make new friends and connections from the world of flash fiction.
Amongst the many presenters confirmed in the programme there are writers from the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Cyprus, the US, Canada and Australia.
The festival bookshop in 2025
Workshops will examine a plethora of topics: Alison Powell will be leading a session on ‘Writing flash fiction in the shadow of global events’; David Schuman will examine ‘How to Use Negative Space to Expand Your Flash’; Emily Devane will be explore the idea of ‘Fractured Narratives’; while Finnian Burnett will be focused on ‘writing the unexpected in Flash (how to upend cliches and make it strange)’.
A separate pre-festival workshop led by Kathy Fish will focus on how to surprise readers with the generation of unexpected points of view. “You’ll generate multiple new drafts or story starts, and likely stumble into approaches you’ll want to use again and again”, she says. “It’s perfect for writers who feel stuck, stale, or ready to level up their flash with risk and originality.”
l-r: Charmaine, Malina, Nancy and Emily
Also ahead of the festival, East Bristol Books will be hosting a trio of female writers set to appear over the weekend, reading from their own micro-fiction.
Bristol writer Kathryn Aldridge-Morris, who released her debut flash fiction collection Cold Toast in 2025, will be joined by multi-award-winning Western Australian writer and self-confessed “obsessive reader” Gillian O’Shaughnessy and Californian author of the recently published Pardon Me For Moonwalking micro-fiction collection, Patricia Q. Bidar.
l-r: Kathryn Aldridge-Morris, Gillian O’Shaughnessy and Patricia Q Bidar
The Flash Fiction Festival takes place on July 17-19 at Trinity College, Stoke Bishop. For more information and booking details, visit flashfictionfestival.com.
Tickets for Feminist Flash Fiction at East Bristol Books on July 16 at 7pm are available via Headfirst.
All photos: Flash Fiction Festival (main photo: Farhana Shaik, Farhana Khalique & Susmita in 2025)
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