Short Stories RSS

Welcome to our fifth #authorinsight, where we present to you a behind-the-scenes interview with 2021 Rhys Davies Short Story Award shortlisted author, Giancarlo Gemin, who wrote the short story 'Cure Time'.  Born in Cardiff, Giancarlo has previously written two children’s books, Cowgirl and Sweet Pizza, both of which were winners of the Tir Na n-Og Award (2015 and 2016). He is currently working on his first adult novel based on a library in Wales during the austerity years. His short non-fiction, “The Valleys of Venice” (the story of his mother’s journey from Italy to Wales) will be part of Parthian’s travel anthology,...

On the third day of our author insights, I had the honour of discussing Philippa Holloway’s entry for the 2021 Rhys Davies Short Story Award, ‘A Cloud of Starlings’, with the author herself. Philippa is a writer and an academic whose short fiction and non-fiction writing has previously been published worldwide in several literary journals and magazines. Philippa has won prizes in various awards and been shortlisted for many other competitions. With a passion for exploring the relationship between people and place, she is currently working with Parthian Books on her 2022 debut novel The Half-Life of Snails. In Philippa’s...

‘Morais is right; if we have lived in a place long enough, we all know a Kung Fu or two. We probably know a Pavement Poet as well – highly educated immigrants who have gone through hell to get here […], only to find themselves treated with contempt by the likes of the obnoxious Jolyon […] Less familiar to some, perhaps may be the other characters that people Morais’ acutely observed stories: drug-dealers, users, people who are in- or just out-of or just-about-to-go-into-jail, rogue families, scary hardmen and vile, predatory males who present themselves as Nice Guys. […]' 'This turning-around...