Winter Pop-Up Issue – Feline Flash

Following the launch of each of our issues, we cajole one or more of the contributors into a mini interview with the Trash Cat.
Here they will reveal some writing wisdom and tell you what trash critter they identify with most. Important stuff like that.

Today, we have Jenny Hart. You can read her raw, layered flash here: Karate for Cats.
Jenny is a repeat bin offender and you can also read her incredible inaugural publication with us here: Shopping for Two.
And as part of the Prompted Stories Pop-Up 2025, she took the prompts: Following a Disaster, a Performer, and a tattoo – and came up with the beautiful Smaller Ghosts

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Q: What piece of writing advice/ crafting rule would you trash?

A: I dislike the rigidity of having a set time to write, including ‘morning papers’. I used to feel guilty if I hadn’t written for three days, even if life had been enormous. What works better for me is accountability – having a little group of fellow writers who meet up a couple of times a week to write together. And if you end up doing like admin while everyone else is writing? Be kind to yourself and write something fabulous next time.

Q: Which writers and magazines do you go to to find treasure to read?

A: Aside from Trash Cat! I love Frazzled lit, Okay Donkey, Punk Noir and so many others.

The list of writers I love is infinite – Mariana Enriques, Shirley Jackson, Carmen Maria Machido, Ray Bradberry, Ottessa Moshfegh, Iain Reid – I could go on forever!

Q: What trash animal do you most identify with?

A: Probably an Orang Utang – we’re both gingers. Funny shape. Bit solitary. Look sad even when we’re not!

Q: When your writing mojo is trashed, how do you recharge?

A: I try to get outside – walk the dog, visit friends, take a bus or train somewhere. Being in a different space kind of resets my brain and I find it easier to get going again when I next sit down to write.

Q: If you could offer three tips to writing short treasures, what would they be?

A:
1. During the Covid lockdown, I did many workshops with the lovely Adam Z. Robinson. His mantra for writing first drafts is – You can never be wrong. Write without worrying about what you are putting on the page. Even if you don’t directly use what you write, it is never wasted and definitely never wrong.

2. Start late, leave early. When I read flash fiction, I’m travelling light through your world. I don’t need to know how you got there or where you went after. But want to take a souvenir – leave me with something to take away, an image, a thought, an unanswered question.

3. Be brutal when you edit! Get to the core of the story and the character – only keep what matters. I love turning that messy thousand-word first draft into the 500-word flash it always was at heart.

Q: What is one thing, if spotted in a crowded charity shop/thrift store, you would just have to buy

A: Anything art related. Paints, canvas, sketchpads, craft books from the 1970s – all coming home with me!

Jenny Hart is a writer from England who loves a dark or unusual short story. She has previously contributed to ‘Trash Cat Lit’ as well as ‘Urban Pigs’, ‘Frazzled Lit’ and ‘Hotch Potch Literature and Art’. When Jenny isn’t writing, you can find her walking in the local countryside.
Probably lost. She lives across the road from a cemetery, with her two cats, Jason and Jeff. Social Media: Instagram, Bluesky and X