Hoowee tiger it’s been a while since we’ve put up a Wall of Fame and it’s high time we gave a resounding shout out to all our wonderful WHQers out there gettin’ longlisted, shortlisted, published and winning all sorts of amazing things.
We really are taking over the literary world, guys. 👀
So without further ado, here’s what our fine upstanding WHQ writing community has been up to so far this year, in bookseller/librarian-approved alphabetical order. Hold onto your pants, it’s gonna be a big ‘un…
Sarah Alcock’s flash, A Little More, was published in Briefly Write
“Thank you, Writers’ HQ, for telling me about the people who publish the things every month, and giving me the kick I need to submit.”
– Sarah Alcock
Tavia Allen’s story, We’re All In The Gutter, But Some Of Us Are Looking, was published in Open: Journal of Arts & Letters
Kim Botly’s story, Turquoise, was highly commended and published in Gloucestershire Writers’ Network’s My World anthology. She also came 2nd in the Stroud Book Festival writing competition with her story Hymn, was published in Ellipsis Zine Seven, and read at Noir in the Bar for Quay Words
Katherine Bradshaw was shortlisted for the Fresher Publishing Short Fiction Competition with her story, Wardrobe
Anika Carpenter was shortlisted for the June Bath Flash Fiction Award, longlisted for the Autumn Reflex Flash Fiction Competition with her story, Recovery, and was published in FlashFlood, the Reflex Press anthology, ‘A Girl’s Guide to Fly Fishing’, and Pure Slush’s Wrong Way Go Back collection.
Sue Clark’s debut novel, Note To Boy was published by Unbound
M. S. Clements’ novel The Third Magpie was published by PgUp Books
Helen Close and Carol Long both had stories published in Electrifying Women Creative Writing Anthology Vol 2
Katie Collins was shortlisted in The Rialto’s pamphlet competition
Sally Costelloe (aka Sally Feldt) won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in the Children’s and YA category
Iona Cottle was shortlisted for Reedsy’s #37 Creative Writing Contest, won the #57 contest, and published her book, Death Was Its Name
Valerie Cutko’s story, There Used to Be Angels on Mott Street but now there are only Sushi Bars and a Space NK, came 2nd in the Fiction Factory Flash Competition, had another story, Seven Die in Borstal Fire, longlisted for the October Bath Flash Fiction Contest, and yet another, Her Daughter, Who Is Not Called Ayannah, published in the autumn issue of The Remnant Archive
Denise D’Souza had a story published in Flash Fiction Friday
Nicky Downes published Consent, the second in her book series
Cerys Evans’ one-woman puppet show A Trans Fairy Tale was commissioned by the NHS East London Foundation Trust the NHS and her article, Tell Me All About It, was published in Psychologies Magazine
Angela Fitzpatrick story, The Unfortunate Life of Quin Toller was published in Strange Days’ Numbers Anthology
“Thanks WritersHQ – I wouldn’t have the confidence to do it without Writing Short Fiction!”
– Angela Fitzpatrick
Our very own Jo Gatford was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, longlisted for the Spring Reflex Flash Fiction competition and the Short Fiction/University of Essex Prize, had a story performed at the Liars’ League Young & Old event, and was published in X-R-A-Y and The Journal of Compressed Arts
Alison Gibson’s story, A Crack in the Blinkers, was published in Sunlight Press
Tilly Greenland had eight pieces published on The Write In
Ella Hawkins signed a publishing contract with Bloomsbury to publish a non-fiction book based on her PhD thesis that she worked on at many WHQ Birmingham Writers’ Retreats!
“Thanks so much for all the support and gold stars!”
– Ella Hawkins
Terry Holland has a short story forthcoming in Breve New Stories
WHQ rep and flash queen Kathy Hoyle was published in Reflex Press’ A Girl’s Guide to Fly Fishing anthology, The Cabinet of Heed, and Secret Attic, longlisted in the Autumn Reflex Flash Fiction Competition, came third in the HISSAC Flash Fiction Competition, was shortlisted for Flash 500 and the Strands Flash Competition, was a semi finalist in the LISP Flash competition. and has forthcoming pieces in Crow and Cross Keys, Inkandescent, and Sunspot Literary Journal
Amanda Kearsey won the #SussexTogether Festival of the Arts Competition with her story, A Box of Chocolates
Lisa Kendrick’s poem Four Journeys was published in Dwell Time Issue 2
Kate Keogan was published in the Places of Poetry: Mapping the Nation in Verse anthology and was longlisted in the Arvon Short Story Competition
R J Kinnarny’s story, Becoming Sybil, was published in Funny Pearls, and won the Southam Book Festival 100 Words Competition with her story Untitled
Pam Knapp was published in Owl Hollow Press’ When the World Stopped Anthology, issue 8 of Lucent Dreaming, and has had flashes accepted for The Winnow Magazine and Crow & Cross Keys
Kate Leimer’s story, <<But you don’t know my name>>, was a finalist in the Hysteria Short Story Competition
Roz Levens won the Worcestershire Flash Fiction Slam 2020 competition, as well as having two flashes shortlisted and three accepted for the anthology Her Final Goodbye
Danielle Linsey is on the shortlist of the latest Flash 500 contest and was shortlisted TWICE for the Michael Mullan Cancer Fund Writing Competition
Kayleigh Maddocks’ story The Eagle Cafe won the Hi2020 Short Story Competition!! She’s also got a story in Black Hare Press’ anthology Tick Tock
Katy Madgwick had a 100 word micro accepted for FlashFlood, was published on The Friday Fix (The Temple of Literature) and Reflex Fiction (Fallout), and has a story forthcoming in Fusion Fragment!
Holly McCann’s poem You Are Not a Bad Father, was shortlisted in the Enfield Poets’ Twentieth Anniversary Competition 2020
Jan P McCarthy had stories published in Pure Slush’s The Sh*tlist anthology, Paragraph Planet, The Selkie, The Wild Word, and Fiction Factory, and a poem published in Truth Serum’s Indigomania
Sarah McPherson was published in Riggwelter
Audrey Niven also made the shortlist of Flash 500’s 2nd quarter competition with her story Recipe for Reflection, and the October Bath Flash Fiction Award with her story Any fule kno, men chat shit, and was ALSO longlisted in Free Flash Fiction’s first competition
Susie Nott Bower’s debut children’s novel School for Nobodies was published by Pushkin
Sarah Oakes’ story, The Pantheon Ombodsman, was published in Truffle Magazine
Rachel O’Cleary won the Strands International Flash Fiction Competition with her story, If A Tree Falls, came second in the Mum Life Stories Micro Fiction Writing Competition with her story, Susan Is There, and was selected for publication in Neon Books Battery Pack IV with her story How Hungry I Was
“I am eternally grateful for WHQ and Flash Face Off, without which this would never have happened.”
– Rachel O’Cleary
Amy O’Neil won Grindstone Lit’s Flash Fiction competition with her story, Anniversary of Independence, won the Tread Bikely contest with her story My Promise, and came second in Retreat West’s May Micro Fiction competition with her story Walls. She’s had a bumper writing year, winning competitions at Free Flash Fiction and Globe Soup; a story in Flash Flood and Paragraph Planet; making the BSSA long list, an honourable mention for WoW flash fiction competition, and stories upcoming in HOOT Review and 101 words
“It’s been a very good year (writing-wise lol) and I owe a lot to the Writers’ HQ retreats when lockdown started, and the Flash Face-Off prompts too, so a massive THANK YOU for helping to make the above happen in a very tumultuous year!”
– Amy O’Neil
WHQ rep and all round glorious human Poppy O’Neill had not one but three non-fiction books for children published this year: 101 Tips To Help Your Anxious Child, Be Strong, and Be Yourself
Mary-Jean Parker’s piece, New Beginnings, was published in Scottish Book Trust Future collection
Daisy Pearce’s book, The Silence was published by Thomas & Mercer in January, and her story, The Brook Witch, was published in Horrified Magazine
Laura Phillips has a story, Through The Mill House Rollers, published on Medium
Jennifer Riddalls was longlisted in the Summer Reflex Flash Fiction Contest with her story, Different Shades of Shame, and was also longlisted for Retreat West’s monthly micro-fiction competition in May
Emma Robertson’s story, Slipstream, was published in Issue 12 of the Eastern Iowa Review and she also has a story in Pure Slush: Wrong Way Go Back
Jenny Rowe made it to the third round of the NYC Flash Fiction Competition
Abigail Rowland was shortlisted for the Hedgehog Poetry Pamphlet Competition
Iona Rule’s story, We Traced The Footsteps But They Led Nowhere, was published in Perhappened Mag Issue 5
Kay Sandry’s story, Tremors At The Edge Of An Exploding Bomb, was longlisted in Reflex Fiction’s Spring 2020 Flash Fiction Competition
Claire Schön’s story, The Battle, was longlisted for the Grindstone Flash Fiction Prize
Carol Shea’s pome, A Stone’s Throw from Easdale, is on the Stanza Poetry Map of Scotland
Catherine Sleeman won the Julia & Martin Wilson Short Story Prize with her story, Tomorrow, and was shortlisted for Aftermath’s End of Our World contest with her story The Thing You Don’t Have A Name For
Barbara Strident’s story, Delicate Flower, was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize
Laura Sweeney won a mentorship through the Kate Nash Literary Agency
Camilla Taipalvesi’s story Towards Freedom came third in the Sana Stories writing competition, and can now be read on their app!
Wendy Turbin’s story Morendo, was longlisted for the June Bath Flash Fiction Award, and her debut novel, Sleeping Dogs, is due to be published by Hobeck Books in January 2021
Marion Valentine’s story Messages to Chip was long listed for the actual V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize
Michelle Weaver was published in the Army Flying Museum Remembrance Poetry & Prose Anthology and has had a poem accepted for the Lockdown Initiative Project
Carrie Jade Williams was a finalist in the London Independent Short Story Prize
Catherine Ziva was published in The Ascent
WHQers also swept the board in the Highlands & Islands Short Story Association (HISSAC) competition, with Carrie-Jade Williams, Audrey Niven and Kathy Hoyle taking first, second and third place!
And again in the Mum Life Stories Micro Fiction Writing Competition, with Martha Lane, Danielle Lindsey and Rachel O’Cleary on the shortlist (with Rachel taking 2nd place)!
Aaaand another handful of WHQers, Anika Carpenter, Lisa Fransson, Anita Goveas and Kathy Hoyle, were published in Reflex Press’ A Girl’s Guide to Fly Fishing anthology!
AND someone counted no less than 7 WHQers in Christopher Fielden’s 81 words challenge…
Honestly, LOOK AT THIS LIST! It’s incredible, you’re incredible, we’re so incredibly proud of all of you, and so happy to share your many many many accomplishments. And here’s to MANY more in 2021.
So, if you want some of what these guys’ve got, then, y’know, maybe you should get on board the WHQ train with our weekly (FREE!) flash fiction challenge, our mahoosive bumber monthly listings of writing competitions & opportunities, our (FREE) webinars, online retreats, email courses and resources, and our arse-kicking 5-star online writing courses.
And who knows, you could end up on our next Wall of Fame…
