Anna, Jane and Jude, the BSSA team, launched the 2017 BSSA anthology at Mr B’s Emporium of Books, Bath yesterday, 28th November. Around 50 guests came to the event and eleven of our eighteen anthology authors attended — a couple of them travelled from France and others from all over the UK. Here they all are at the end of the evening.

 

All our authors read short extracts from their stories, stopping at  tantalising places. Here’s Kathy Stevens, who won our first prize and £1000, reading from her brilliant and moving story, ‘This is All Almost True’. Judge Euan Thorneycroft said he loved it from the beginning.

 

And here’s a picture of Kathy later on enjoying a glass of wine next to our book display. You can buy the books at Mr B’s. Or from our website here. And via Amazon

 

Mary Griese our second prize winner read an extract from her atmospheric story ‘Perfomance in the Hills’, set in a welsh farming community, which Euan Thorneycroft admired for its unique theme.

 

Our third prize winner Sarah MacKey read from her story ‘Forget Me Not’ which Euan Thorneycroft described as a ‘beautiful sad story of a family buckiing under the weight of memory loss.’

 

 

Chloe Tuner, our local prize winner read an extract from her story ‘Breaking the Glassblower’s Heart,’ a great title for a story which Euan Thorneycroft said was very well written and full of fantastic descriptive detail.

 

 

 

Sandra Marslund won the Acorn Award for an unpublished writer for her story ‘Everything Must Go’. The BSSA team thought it was a story with great suspense and structure.

 

We also heard extracts of their stories from Emily Devane, Joe Eurell, Catherine Finch, Judith Wilson, Alexander Knights and Harriet Springbett. It was a great evening. We thank everyone who came and all the authors in the anthology. Some of the others who couldn’t come live in Australia, Brazil, Ireland and Belgium. A truly international crowd. Do buy the book and read all their wonderful stories.

Thank you very much to writer, Crysse Morrison who took most of the individual  pictures of the authors here.