
For this Pop-Up, writers were challenged to create a flash fiction using blind-chosen prompts
They were each given a Setting/Situation, a Character, and an Object/Occurrence
Click on the images to read the selected stories
the prompts given to each writer are shown at the end of their stories
content warnings where relevant, are shown at the beginning of the story and can be revealed by clicking the arrow
Stories labelled LISTEN IN THE BIN have audio versions

Some Poisons
by Laura Cooney
There’s a mould stain on the ceiling that looks like Argentina. Billy has never been to Argentina. Billy has never left Bradford. […]

The Diary of a Reluctant Spectroscopist
by Adele Evershed
Orange
We drove to Aunty Mabby’s today. Briony was unusually quiet until she said, “I should’ve marched […]

Kodak Moment
by Jupiter Jones
You see that photograph, end of term party in the school sports hall, everybody bright-eyed and smiling for the camera, perfect teeth flashing […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Borne
by Jupiter Jones
The day after I was born, Aunty Ingrid cursed me. I heard her heels clackety-clacking down the corridor of the old maternity hospital […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Code Blue on the 9th Floor Fire Exit
by Lawrence Kithcart
I smooth the lapels of my Armani and press the down button. I step into the car and press 14, rolling my eyes at the superstitious nature of our species. […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

The Unknown Life of Luiza
by Leigh Loveday
When she first notices him, she’s just a child. She has to be. In the sizzle of mounting summer on Belém’s hazy riverfront […]

Black and Purple, Red and White
by Fiona McKay
That long-ago morning, Kate hadn’t been able to figure out the bruises. The headache was another matter. John was happy to remind her of the cause. […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Heartwood
by Nina Miller
Matteus loved me once. That was no excuse to turn him into a sycamore tree, but we were fifteen, and I was getting into my magic. […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Tag Number Forty-Two
by Andrew Monge
Special Agent Keoghan sat at the desk in his home office, eyeing the worn manila folder before him. He ran his thumb over the tab that read “MoA Bombing […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Rosemary: an Herb for Remembering by Abigail Myers
I recommended she invest her small inheritance in the shop with the apartment over it. You can’t get evicted if you own the building, that’s the catbird seat right there […]

Get Thee Beside Me, Satan,
We Need a Selfie
by Gill O’Halloran
You’ve come to retrieve the valuables you left in storage four weeks ago when you were between flats, and the guy behind the desk is a demon […]

Tourist Season, Exodus
by Jude Potts
The needle slid in easy at The Wander’s Rest today. The first sensation akin to rapid falling. They always closed their eyes. […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Only the Sky is Penitent
by Kathy Prokhovnik
‘Shut up,’ Nora snaps, brittle like mum, arm flailing like mum’s to catch any limb within reach in the back of the car. We laugh, but not really. […]
LISTEN IN THE BIN

Gelato Shuffle
by Luuk Schokker
The gelato place used to be a cute little bakery, but the baker has dementia now, and they’ve smashed the store to pieces. […]
Issue Published 1st September 2024
Image Credits (top to bottom)
kris (pixabay), Kevin Gilleard (unsplash), Claudia Wolleson (pixabay), angels4801 (pixabay), sollrox (pixabay), sergei adam (unsplash), midsummer sycamore (pixabay) andreasN (pixabay), alandsmann (pixabay) alexa (pixabay) Albany Colley (pixabay)







