On Sunday 6th October, I had the pleasure of being part of the Liverpool Literary Festival. My short story was the winner of the staff category of the short story competition, so I was invited to share the stage with the other category winners and runners-up to read an extract of my story and answer some questions.
The competition was organised by Liverpool Literary Festival Director, Professor Greg Lynall. It was an exciting morning, exploring the theme of ‘Turning’, and how we all approached this in our writing. My story, The Potter, was about a young man getting into all sorts of trouble (breaking in, destroying property, etc.) and was given a second chance by the potter, or the owner of the studio the boy broke into. It is not just the turning of the revolving potter’s wheel, but the turning into someone else, the Transformation. Being changed and re-shaped like the clay.
We were hosted by Colm Toibin Lecturer in Creative Writing, Dr Danny O’Connor and previous winner, Marta Zanucco. The prizegiving ceremony was done by BBC Short Story Award 2023 winner Naomi Wood.
My story, The Potter, can be read here.
The winners:
- University of Liverpool staff winner: Michael Holloway (Library Services)
- University of Liverpool postgraduate student winner: Eleanor McAdam (English)
- University of Liverpool undergraduate student winner: Caitlin Mercer (English)
The runners up:
- University of Liverpool staff runner up: Laura Brough (ULMS)
- University of Liverpool postgraduate student runner up: Holly Dempster-Edwards (LCF)
- University of Liverpool undergraduate student runner up: Ava Williams (English)
