Measured and accomplished storytelling, with a strong sense of authenticity and the characters vividly rendered. Herr Sigfried Ottmar – This one was so beautifully done. It’s a story that has left a deep impression on me. I read this several times over the past two weeks and as I sit here now, I want to read it again. Incredibly emotional, truthful and heartfelt. I was a bit sceptical at first of the structure, but the story unfurls wonderfully. On another day, and with another judge, the results could very well be different.Ĭlippings – Just exceptional. Aware of just how much was at stake, I struggled in particular to separate the top five stories, and loved them all for different reasons, and it was only after several readings that I settled on my final order. The standard of this work is high, and even the ones that didn’t make the anthology had so much about them worth admiring, not just in terms of the stories being told but also in the polish of the sentences, the development of the characters and, especially, the emotional impact these writers managed to wring from just a few pages. Reading these stories, also those that fell short of the final cut, was a real pleasure but also quite a challenge. We look forward to meeting the writers and hearing them read at the launch at the West Cork Literary Festival in July.īilly O’Callaghan’s comments on the stories: We are delighted that these ten stories will make for an anthology of excellent work. We appreciate his interest and support of Fish’s endeavour to publish new and aspiring writers. Thank to Billy O’Callaghan for his careful attention. There were 1,170 entries and the competition was very tough. Falkingham (USA)įrom all of us at Fish we congratulate the writers of the ten stories selected by Billy for publication in the Fish Anthology 2018.

Psittacus Erithacus by Percy Herbert (England)ĭrive All Night by Alan S. Hope is a Thing With Feathers by Georgina Eddison (Ireland) Third: Beatitudes by Janet Smith Moore (USA) Is awarded a week in residence at Anam Cara Writers’ Retreat and €300.

Second: Herr Seigfried Ottmar by Thiva Narayanan (Malaysia) Is awarded €3,000, one thousand of which is for travel to the launch of the Fish Anthology 2018, and a short story workshop at the West Cork Literary Festival in July 2018. To be published in the Fish Anthology 2018įirst: Clippings by Helen Chambers (England) The Ten Winners: Selected by judge Billy O’Callaghan Billy O’Callaghan, judge for the 2017/18 Short Story Prize

Judge me not gentle reader emma smith