Word Factory: Saba Sams
Our February short story club with Emily Devane
‘Hey, you. I see you.
The girl is Blue, a friend of Jasmine’s from school. Her eyes are narrowed to the sun. Under her armpit, Stella notices a tangle of dark hair, slicked down like a clump pulled from the plughole.
You the baby, then?
Guess so.’
We are delighted to invite you to our February short story club, to discuss a story by Saba Sams on February 27 (Thurs) at 7pm, hosted by Emily Devane.
All welcome. You can book here. Paid subscribers come free: contact Word Factory director Cathy Galvin at cathy@thewordfactory.tv
Blue 4eva is taken from Sams’ debut collection, Send Nudes. Inspired by memories of her own childhood holidays in Formentera, Spain, it focuses on 12-year-old Stella as she navigates the shifting family dynamics following her mother’s marriage to Frank. The newly-blended family – Stella, her mother, Claire, stepfather Frank, and his 18-year-old daughter, Jasmine – head to the Balearics. But what Stella hasn’t anticipated is the impact of stepsister Jasmine’s best friend, Blue. With Jasmine resistant to the new family unit – ‘Stella suspects she’s only here to ensure that everyone has as difficult a time as possible’ – the younger girl is drawn to Blue.
The story delves into the challenges faced by a young person coming to terms with their sexuality while also navigating the power dynamics within a family formed through a recent marriage.
The story won the BBC National Short Story Award in 2022, and was praised by Elizabeth Day, chair of judges, for its ‘transportive atmosphere, its masterful telling of complex family dynamics and the sense of building tension’. Saba Sams’ collection, Send Nudes, went on to win the Edge Hill Prize.
Read it here:
Saba Sams wins BBC national short story award for ‘transportive’ tale | Books | The Guardian
Listen to the audio here:
Saba Sams:
Saba Sams is a writer based in London. Her story ‘Blue 4eva’ won the 2022 BBC National Short Story Award. Send Nudes, her debut collection, won the 2022 Edge Hill Prize. Her fiction and non-fiction has appeared in Granta, the Stinging Fly and the White Review, among other publications. Her debut novel, Gunk, will be published by Bloomsbury in May.
Emily Devane:
Emily Devane is a writer, teacher, editor and bookseller living in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. Her short fiction has been widely published in journals including Ambit, Smokelong Quarterly and The Lonely Crowd. She has won the Word Factory Apprentice Award, the Bath Flash Fiction Award, a Northern Writers’ Award, and has been twice shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. In 2022, she won second prize in the Bath Short Story Award and was shortlisted for The Mogford Prize. Emily has taught creative writing for Comma Press, Dahlia Press, London Writers’ Café, Flash Fiction Festival, Smokelong Quarterly, Writing Room, Sheffield Hallam University, and more. She also runs online workshops at Moor Words, as well as a monthly writing group at The Grove Bookshop and regular spoken word nights in Ilkley.
All welcome. Remember: you can buy tickets on EventBrite. Paid Subscribers attend for free and enjoy other benefits including priority booking to live and online events and a free masterclass.