I’m thrilled that my short story ‘Plain Speaking’ is published in Nicholas Royle’s new anthology Best British Short Stories 2022, published by Salt Publishing and released on 15 November. It is the first time the story has been available in print form.
‘Plain Speaking’ was initially written for David Collard’s Carthorse Orchestra online salon around a year ago, to commemorate the 110th anniversary on 5 October 2021 of the birth of Brian O’Nolan, a.k.a. Myles na gCopaleen, but best known as Flann O’Brien. The story was first published online by 3am Magazine, and then by the Irish Literary Society.
Nicholas Royle’s Best British Short Stories series was inspired by Giles Gordon and David Hughes’ Best Short Stories series, which ran for ten years from 1986 to 1995. This is now the twelfth Best British Short Stories anthology, and Best British Short Stories 2023 has just been announced.
Royle himself is an acclaimed novelist and short story writer, author of more than one-hundred short stories, and editor of numerous anthologies. He is also the editor and publisher of Nightjar Press. Royle is the former short story critic for Time Out magazine, and a tireless, longstanding champion of the form.
Contributors to Best British Short Stories 2022 are: RZ Baschir, Sean Padraic Birnie, Christopher Burns, Neil Campbell, Leon Craig, Mona Dash, David Frankel, Uschi Gatward, Rosanna Hildyard, Edward Hogan, Alice M, Paul McQuade, Sophie Mackintosh, Sonya Moor, Ben Pester, Max Porter, Sara Sherwood, Chris Vaughan, Tony White, and Will Wiles.
There’s a Manchester event at Blackwells Manchester on Tuesday 13 December to launch Best British Short Stories 2022 and their new Modern Stories series. The evening will be hosted by Nicholas Royle and feature readings from Neil Campbell, Alison Moore, Nicholas Royle and Sara Sherwood.
My contributor copy arrived a couple of days ago. I’ve really enjoyed the stories I’ve read so far, and am really proud to have ‘Plain Speaking’ published in such great company.
Do please support the excellent Salt Publishing, Nicholas Royle’s great ongoing project, all of the contributors, and the short story in general by buying a copy from your favourite local bookshop — thanks all!
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Buy Best British Short Stories 2022 direct from Salt Publishing
Buy Tony White’s latest novel The Fountain in the Forest via publisher Faber and Faber
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