Guest Blog: Dan Holloway of eightcuts on Flash-slamming

I’m absolutely delighted to be celebrating National Flash Fiction Day by hosting a Flash Slam (http://eightcuts.com/events/flash-slam/) in Oxford. Hurrah, you cry, and what might one of those be?

Well, I first came across the idea through Amy Riley and Tim Lay who run Brighton’s top literary night Grit Lit, where I had the privilege of performing this summer (http://gritlit.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/dates-for-your-diary-flash-lit-fiction-11-september-grit-lit-9-december/ ). What we have planned is part slam and part Literary Death Match-style panel show, all designed to show just how great the flash form can be when read aloud.

Yes, but what does that actually mean? Right, well the slam bit is like a poetry slam. Anyone can sign up (within reason – we have 12 spaces available in advance and on the night) to read flash fiction for no more than 4 minutes. They will then be scored, in an informal, friendly way by 5 pre-selected members of the audience. The highest and lowest scores will be removed and the reader with the highest score will “win.” And everyone will have an entertaining, educational, raucous and really rather fabulous time and come out fired with passion for flashing.

The panel show part consists of the fact that we have an MC (yours truly) and a judge (the wonderful Tania Hershman, one of the UK’s most feted and fabulous flashers), who will offer brief humorous but constructive comments on each performance.

And to top it off, Tania will be performing a headline set of her flash pieces. There will also be drinks and music all in the surrounds of the Albion Beatnik, Oxford’s finest bookstore.

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