Flashing in the burbs

Once again, the FlashTag gang have been busy busy busy and, on Wednesday, we held a live final for the flash fiction writing competition that we ran as part of Chorlton Arts Festival. There are loads of photographs on the #Flashtag Facebook page, along with a video of Fat Roland reading out a story the audience wrote on the night, exquisite corpse style, on a real-life typewriter. An inspired idea, I think you'll agree (it was my idea). Six of the eight shortlisted writers read their work, one of whom hadn't read before, so well done her. The remaining two stories on the shortlist were read by members of the FlashTag team, and the five of us each read really short pieces, as did our headliner, the talented Valerie O'Riordan. All the stories were really different and the variety and the marvellous company made for a jolly good evening.Congratulations to everyone who made the final eight, and to our winner Clare Kirwan, second place runner-up Daniel Carpenter and third placed Norman Hadley.