Cathy Galvin writes…
Thank you one and all for following the Word Factory this year. Have you been good? Whether you have or not, here's the formidable Anne Enright for you to relish talking sin and short stories at the Word Factory with Paul McVeigh : what can you say about lust and gluttony except yes? Now pride, pride is a posh sin ….
This seasonal newsletter also comes with recommendations and dates for the diary plus an observation: is what is happening at a grass roots level around us something that in time we will see as a sea-change, a cause for celebration? I live near a town where there are few big-brand retailers and many shops are empty, hardly an encouraging sight, and yet pop-up businesses are filling those spaces in dynamic ways: a new bookshop, vintage shops, a museum, a poetry shop (really), small cafes etc. Not all of those businesses will survive but others appear to step up and in when others fail. Even if we conclude that big corporations and social media platforms have won some kind of battle to use and reduce our lives in our towns and elsewhere, small shops, businesses and organisations, including the Word Factory and other literary groups, thrive and continue to create the new. Could what we create ourselves be more flexibly alive than anything that's forced on us?
And so: a big hug and thank you to those of you I've had the pleasure to spend time with this year including Ali Smith and Sophie Haydock at the brilliant Folkestone Book Festival; Eley Williams in her memorable Word Factory masterclass and Anne Elicano-Shields,celebrating winning the inaugural Word Factory Political Short Story Award at a live event in London (partnered by Writing our Legacy and the small-but-mighty Galley Beggar Press) with former WF mentor Courttia Newland and former writer-in-residence Susmita Bhattacharya. Not forgetting the brilliant launch of the latest in Comma Press's series of city short story anthologies, The Book of Coventry - A city in short fiction. I was delighted to be included in the book and to return home to celebrate it.
Word Factory has been built on the premise that relationships, not simply information, are what writers need to sustain their work and to navigate all the steps that lead to sharing that work with readers. The evidence for the success of that model is in the long list of our award-winners and friends who have gone on to achieve publishing success. Look out next year for Sophie Haydock's second novel, Madame Matisse (Doubleday). Our Apprentice Award winners continue to delight: Natalia Theodoridou's Sour Cherry is published in April and Amy Stewart's Hex House is due in 2026.
Huge thanks to everyone who participated in our writers' groups and my Writing Slant course. Fabulous to see Stephen Lunn's debut novel The Price of Doormice emerging from within those groups this year.
It is deeply touching that we have all stayed in touch when Word Factory has been at full throttle but also when I've had to take a step away from the production line. But back on the shop floor - next year the short story club will be back to a regular monthly online slot with guest hosts including myself, Emily Devane, Giselle Leeb, Tom Harvey and some lovely surprises. The January club kicks off at 7pm on Thursday January 23rd with Farhana Khalique exploring a Yan Ge story. An invitation will be coming soon.
And for those of you who have let me know how much you missed the Christmas party this year, I'm delighted to say we will be partying with Word Factory friend Paul McVeigh at a live event in London in March to celebrate the launch of his latest short story collection I Hear You. I promise an early December live Christmas 2025 party too!
More details in the New Year on exciting talks, masterclasses, mentoring and another Slant writing course.
I have added a free masterclass, free entry to the short story club and to live events to the offer to paid subscribers for 2025 in addition to more films. Thank you again to those of you who are supporting Word Factory's work in this way but don't feel under any pressure if you can't: short story world is hardly for profit and Word Factory certainly isn't.
I mentioned recommendations. As I type, I'm awaiting Word Factory reviews of new collections by Jonathan Taylor, Gaia Holmes, Kirsty Gunn, Adam Marek and Lucy Caldwell. And a shout out: contact me if you want to review for us at cathy@thewordfactory.tv and/or if you fancy the role of my man/girl Friday.
Keep well and keep writing.
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