Sunday 16 October 2011

An Open Letter

Dear Flash-Fiction Fan,

I am a flash-fiction writer, an editor and a lecturer in Creative Writing, and I have a dream of a day celebrating flash-fiction.

Flash-fiction exists in the grey area between poetry and the short story, so, why not have a day in between the two National Days for those forms dedicated to it? It would be a day in which we tell the world about these short, short stories that we craft and encourage them to read and write them.

As a result, Wednesday May 16th 2012 will be National Flash-Fiction Day in the UK and I need your help.

What I would like is for the day to co-ordinate all the activities you would already do - readings, open-mics, workshops, publications, competitions, and anything else you think of - all under the banner of National Flash-Fiction Day.

There will soon be a website to co-ordinate the events and let people know what's going on in their area. It will also have pages for all flash-fiction writers taking part on which they can feature themselves and their work, add links to buy their books, etc. I want it to be a resource for flash-fiction as much as a site for the Day itself.

So, what I need from you is to start thinking and planning your events; spread the word about the day, about this blog and our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nationalflashfictionday), ask people to sign up for the mailing list at nationalflashfictionday@gmail.com and generally become part of the whole thing.

There is no funding behind this event, no mass team of adminstrators, so apart from co-ordinating it, I'm relying on you to do what you do best and bring this thing together.

If you want to volunteer any ideas for promotion, your time to help out, or anything else, please get in touch.

This will be the first National Flash-Fiction Day, but with your help it won't be the last.

Thanks for your support and roll on next May.

All the best
Calum Kerr
National Flash-Fiction Day Co-ordinator.

5 comments:

  1. hell, yeah. I'll put on an open mic in Oxford and do whatever I can from eight cuts gallery (http://eightcuts.com). Happy to run a page of links for example to people's work.

    My only question would be why not make it a Friday, as #fridayflash is such an established phenomenon?

    Very best - do drop me an e-mail - eightcutsgallery at googlemail dot com

    Best
    Dan

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  2. It's possible that this is in the middle of the Swindon Festival of Literature. Suggest you google them and get in touch with the director (Matt Holland - I don't have his email address to hand). They may be able to do something with you.

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  3. Happy to help out in any way I can.. xx

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  4. This sounds like an excellent idea and in principle I'd be pleased to get involved, but every link on this page seems to bring me back to... this page. Perhaps it's just me? It has been one of those weeks.

    Why not drop me a tweet? @OscarWindsor

    Best of luck, Calum

    Cheers

    Oscar

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  5. Thanks, Dan. I decided on a Wednesday rather than a Friday as it doesn't clash with weekend plans and also co-incides with a couple of open-mics I already knew about that would be willing. Plus, it used to be half-day closing...

    Thanks, Jo, I shall get in touch with Matt.

    Rosalind, drop me an email to the gmail address above and I'll add you to the mailing list.

    Oscar, I believe we have now linked up on all relevant social media, but just so you know the blog at present only has... this page. So it's not just you.

    Thanks, all! Now go forth and spread the word!!

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