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The WritersJames AdenNorthern lad James, who has just started an MA in sciptwriting at Goldsmiths, began writing afer he saw a West End play and thought, I could do that. His first piece of writing was produced as a reading at the Groucho club and earned him a Film Four commission. He is hard at work on his first novel, "Ena Sharples was a Tranny". James's motto is: if you can't spell it, fuck it, find another word. Dariush AlaviNotes For A Play About Some Family Dariush was born in London and has lived in Poland, Iran and Dubai. His first short story, 'A Gesture Of Support', was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003. Other short stories have appeared in Canada's Prism International magazine, Pulp.net and at Tales Of The DeCongested. He currently lives outside Zone 3 but long train journeys don't bother him very much. He is working on a novel which is tentatively called 'The Only Children'. For further information please visit www.dariushalavi.com. Tracy AlexandraTracy Alexandra likes short words better than long ones and celeriac more than spinach. She often masquerades as a child because it complements her limited vocabulary. She writes in long hand first, because if she types, it looks good when it isn't. Hedva AnbarHedva writes short stories and more recently drama. She has never tried her hand at poetry but for eighteen months was a member of Thin Raft, an English language poetry circle in Basle Switzerland. Marjorie Ann WattsA Londoner, Marjorie Ann Watts trained as a painter and illustrator, worked for a time as an Art editor and typographer and has written and illustrated books for children. Now more involved in adult fiction, she has produced a number of short stories, has recently completed a novel and some new stories - (including this one) - as well as a book on European painting. Married with children. Kate AnsellThe Terrible History of Two Dachshunds Belonging to Mrs Jemima Green Why Iris Won’t Eat Custard Creams Kate Ansell is exactly the same person she was last time you read one of her stories. Tonight, she does not have much to say for herself. Zsuzsanna ArdóZsuzsanna Ardó is a writer/photographer, editor, critic, broadcaster, scriptwriter and translator. Her books include How to Be a European, Love Blues: Hungarian Rhapsodies, and Culture Shock! Hungary. She runs the Hampstead Authors Society in London. The Hat, her play, was premiered at Harvard. Her photographic exhibition has just opened in the Andre Kertesz Museum. Jonathan AttrillJonathan Attrill writes poetry and fiction. He has won the London Writers' Competition and was recently short-listed for The Willesden Short Story Competition, judged by Zadie Smith (eventually won by a man from Kentucky - he tells us that's the place in America, not the fried chicken shop). His story 'The Pike' appeared in Tales of the Decongested, Volume 1. He also facilitates a creative writing group for people with mental health problems. Helen BaileyHelen Bailey was born in 1958 in Sheffield and lives in Hackney, East London. The view from her desk is of a four crow oak tree. She has had several poems published and would like to write a really good collection of short stories. Born in the middle of the night in the Chinese year of the dog, she is doomed to be eternally restless. Adam BalaAdam Bala was born in Lewisham and now lives in east London. He tries to maintain a cheery disposition but worries about people being rude, pushing in and killing one another and generally using up anything that's good on the planet. His ambition is to one day write a short story with a happy ending, and to be a happy ending himself. Matt BarnardMatt Barnard was born in 1972 in a hospital next to Leicester Square, which is now a police station. That probably says something, though it’s not clear what. He lives in Willesden Green in North London with his wife Sophie and two wild boys, and tries to smuggle in writing between family and work. He has mostly written poetry over the last few years, and has had work published in magazines, the anthology Entering the Tapestry, and in 2006 he won the Poetry Society’s Hamish Canham Prize. He would like, one day, to write ‘a great novel’, but failing that ‘a novel’ would probably do. David BausorDavid Bausor was born in London. He is currently pursuing an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway and working on his first novel, Ghosts in the Palace. Colleen BeckerColleen is writing a novel about an inept drug dealer at large on the Appalachian Trail, tentatively entitled The Long Way. She is also a frequent contributor of articles and reviews for NYArts Magazine, and is at work on a book of Nineteenth Century cultural history. Danny BirchallDanny Birchall lives in SE4 and works in SW1. His work has been published and performed in the Mechanics’ Institute Review, writLOUD and nthposition magazine. Paul BlaneyPaul is a British writer and editor living in New Jersey where he teaches at Rutgers University. His short fiction has appeared in a number of UK magazines and anthologies, and can be seen at paulblaney.com. He is a co-founder of Tales of the DeCongested (decongested.com) and is currently at work on three novellas and a novel. Miranda BowenMiranda works as a director of commercials and short films and has been writing short stories for a couple of years now. She has a number of novels, novellas, short stories and film scripts in development but prefers starting projects to finishing them. She is currently working on an anthology of short stories connected by a meteorite fall in a small English seaside town. John BraimeJohn Braime is on the MA in Creative writing at Birkbeck. Last year he co-edited Birkbeck’s short story collection, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, and is one of the organisers of writLOUD, Birkbeck’s new reading event. When not hanging around Birkbeck, he’s found over the road working at University College London Union or sitting in the pub going on about the time he went to Monkeyworld (near Poole). Emily BromfieldEmily Bromfield lives in South East London, but she has spiritual homes in Liverpool and Cuba so you could say she’s a property tycoon. She writes short fiction and is currently working towards an MA in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College. Sarah ButlerSarah recently graduated from the MA in creative writing at UEA and has combated her return to the “real world” by keeping 2 days a week free for her writing. She spends the other three days working for a literature development charity in Tower Hamlets. She is currently looking for an agent for her first novel and enjoying writing her second… Rachel Castell FarhiBorn 1965, London, Rachel has had fiction appear in three anthologies, Dybbuk of Delight (Five Leaves, 1995), The Slow Mirror (Five Leaves, 1996) and Mordecai's First Brush with Love (Loki Books, 2004) as well as non-fiction in The Daily Telegraph and The Jewish Quarterly. Rachel works as a freelance trainer and advice worker with community groups and describes herself as a young(ish) fogey, married to a fellow nerd, proudly raising a fourth generation Londoner. Never underestimate the stimulation of eccentricity. David ChristopherDavid Christopher has a BBA in Management but has worked in catering since he left university to feed his filthy habit. He has had a handful of shorts published and in October he won the Spoiled Ink People's Choice Award. He needs an agent. Emma ClarkEmma lives in South East London and is working as a primary school teacher while she hones her plan to run away with the circus. She has been writing for several years but only recently developed the urge to share the product with others. Emily CleaverEmily Cleaver is an aspiring writer, so she works in a second-hand bookshop on Charing Cross Road where they expect that kind of thing. She's had work performed at a Liar's League short story event, published in Smoke magazine and on various websites, and has a story appearing in One Eye Grey magazine soon. Adam ConnorsAdam writes stories from the basement of the smallest flat in Vauxhall. Maire CooneyMaire Cooney was born in Edinburgh in 1970 and lives in London with her partner and two children. Her stories have been short-listed, long-listed and not-at-all listed in various competitions. She has been published this year by Leaf and Asham and is working on a collection of short stories. Tamsin CottisTamsin Cottis is a psychotherapist and writer. A graduate of the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA programme, she has recently completed her first novel, Barefoot on Sharp Stones. Originally from Devon, she now lives in East London. Anthony CoxAnthony enjoyed creative writing at school but gave it up in favour of getting qualifications. A few years ago he started evening classes and balanced an IT career with short story writing. He is currently taking a break from IT and concentrating on a first novel. Katherine CraftKatherine Craft is a playwright and performer currently living in Austin, Texas and although she dearly loves her home state, she will be coming to London in September to attend graduate school at Goldsmiths. This story was part of her 30 days, 30 stories project that took place this past November. Bobbie DahdiThe horrors of war affect perpetrators, victims and onlookers alike. Bobbie is working on a novel about the Troubles in Ireland in 1921. She is fascinated by the contrast between the peace of remote Western Cork, its friendly, lyrical people and its murderous past. Agnieszka DaleAgnieszka Dale comes from the Polish Lake District but now lives in London. She writes fiction with her right hand and non-fiction with left, both in English and Polish. She finds inspiration in transition, anywhere between a lift and a flight. Katy DarbyThe Beginning Of The End Of The Pier Katy is a recent graduate of the Creative Writing MA at UEA in Norwich, where she received the David Higham Award. Stories and poems have appeared in Stand and The New Writer magazines, as well as online at Pulp.Net and Carvezine.com. Her plays are published by Samuel French and she has won a number of writing competitions, most recently the inaugural Happenstance Short Story Competition. Katy is a founder of Liars’ League, www.liarsleague.com, a London-based actors’ and writers’ club that puts on a monthly reading night. She lives in London and is glad it's not Norwich. Sarah DaviesThe Woman Who Walked in Straight Lines. Sarah Davies is a drama lecturer in Kent, specializing in Scriptwriting and Directing. She is a graduate of the Royal Court Theatre’s Young Writers Programme, and has written a number of plays, many of which have been performed as rehearsed readings or full productions. She has also written a novella entitled Empty Air and a body of short stories. Patricia DebneyPatricia Debney is an American writer who has been living in Britain more years than she cares to count. She has published short stories, translations, and recently, prose poetry. In 2001 she won the Mathew Prichard Short Story Award, and she has been shortlisted for the Asham Award twice. She has a novel and memoir 'doing the rounds'. By day she is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Kent. Tadeusz DeregowskiTadeusz Deregowski was born in 1969 but did not achieve anything of consequence until he moved to London in 1992, where he painted a number of excellent paintings in a symbolist style, and made many brilliant monoprints too, some of which have even been used as illustrations for The Sunday Telegraph, The Spectator, The Independent and Random House. He wrote a number of stories too and is currently seeking a publisher for them. tadeusz598@aol.com Henderson DowningHenderson Downing was born in Cornwall in 1969. He was educated at the University of Bristol and then re-educated in a secondhand bookstore in Notting Hill (where he spent several years combining work with play and explaining to tourists that Hugh Grant had never worked there). He has had stories, poems, and essays published in several small press magazines - most recently a piece 'on bottle banking for beginners' in Kilimanjaro. He lives in London. Jane EastwoodJane Eastwood is a freelance editor and writer who has worked in the publishing industry for the last three years. She is an, as yet, unpublished writer, concentrating on poetry and short stories. Adam ElstonAdam Elston is 32. He studied political and social theory and now works as a journalist for a pay research organisation. He has been writing short stories for the last two years, three of which will appear in Six New Voices (Apis Books) April 2008. He hopes one day to finish the novel he has started. Nicola FieldNicola Field is a writer, journalist and multimedia artist. Her book Over the Rainbow is published by Pluto Press. She founded Steam Control, a community-based literature and multimedia group with a focus on disability and mental health (steamcontrol.org.uk), and is completing a novel about family breakdown and domestic hysteria. Her poem The Dead Dog is currently part of the Sound Design exhibit in the Collaborators: UK Design for Performance exhibition organised by the Society of British Theatre Designers at the V&A. Alex FleetwoodAlex Fleetwood studied music and worked for several poorly-funded opera companies before switching to TV and is currently developing a film opera with Illuminations TV, paying the rent by doing a businessy job at Channel Four. Alex is a member of the Fiction II group at the brilliant writer's website www.writewords.org.uk and is currently working on a short story which seems to be mutating into a novel. Chelsey FloodChelsey Flood lives and writes in Cornwall and has had work published in Riptide and White Chimney. She thinks you can tell a lot about a person that doesn't smile at dogs. Sally FooteSally Foote was born in Cape Town, but got out before it went all trendy. She arrived in England in 1998 after a 2-year stint researching and writing documentaries in the Johannesburg Television Industry. Journalism was abandoned for the joys of IT and she now works as a Business Analyst for a newspaper. Despite once being voted ‘Most likely to write a novel’ progress beyond the first few chapters has been slow. John GallowayJohn Galloway has been described as many things - father, teacher, cyclist, vegetarian, and occasionally writer. He regularly contribues to the Times Ed and has a column in Child Education. Currently he is developing his portfolio of letters from publishers and agents who clearly don't recognise a stonking good idea for a novel when they see one. Vanessa GebbieVanessa Gebbie is a journalist who also writes short fiction. She teaches Creative Writing to residents of a drugs rehab, to the homeless and to groups of refugees and asylum seekers. She edits Tom's Voice Magazine www.tomsvoicemagazine.com . Publications include Momaya Review, Cadenza, Aesthetica, Fish Anthology (2006), The Turning Point Anthology (Honno, scheduled Jan 2007), Absinthe Literary Review, Eclectica, Gator Springs Gazette and many others. Her competition successes include joint First in the Willesden Short Story Prize 2006, judged by Zadie Smith. She won a red china mug. Vanessa GebbieHow Claude Romarin Lost the Buttocks of Celestine Bigorneaux Vanessa Gebbie is a journalist who also writes short fiction. She teaches Creative Writing to residents of a drugs rehab, to the homeless and to groups of refugees and asylum seekers. She edits Tom's Voice Magazine www.tomsvoicemagazine.com . Publications include Momaya Review, Cadenza, Aesthetica, Fish Anthology (2006), The Turning Point Anthology (Honno, scheduled Jan 2007), Absinthe Literary Review, Eclectica, Gator Springs Gazette and many others. Her competition successes include joint First in the Willesden Short Story Prize 2006, judged by Zadie Smith. She won a red china mug. Jules GibsonJules Gibson is a man with axes to grind, but never enough time to grind them. He has just ditched social work in favour of teaching, which he hopes will be 2.7% less bureaucratic as a profession, and will give him access to large numbers of cheap books and impressionable children. These children he shall enslave and force to fashion tens of thousands of mini-axes with which to attack any politician who, at the Final Hour, refuses to dress up in an owl costume and chat, "I renounce capitalism". His only published literary work was entited, "Where to play pool in London". Tracey GilbertTracey Gilbert was born on a cold January morning, on the 8th floor of St Thomas’s hospital in London. She likes to think that her mother glanced out of the ward window and noted the time of her daughter’s birth, on the clock face of Big Ben. She has been writing short stories for several years; many inspired by the streets she grew up in, in Waterloo. Last year a short story idea kept growing, and now she is working on a novel. David GillDavid Gill was born in Cardiff. He has had stories published by The London Magazine, Jennings Magazine, Margin, Dream Magazine, Cambrensis, Interzone, The New Welsh Review, Smink Works (Australia), Three Forms Of Love Anthology and The Frogmore Papers. David lives in Hackney and works in Lambeth, mainly in social services. He is currently working on a novel. Catherine GingellAs a child Cathy was an incorrigible writer. After forfeiting writing to become a teenager, and failing to write anything of note for more than 12 years, she recently began to attend writing workshops. As a result of these she has produced a few notebooks full of partial stories, which she is currently attempting to extend and improve. Frank GoodmanFrank Goodman won the Wandsworth London Writer Competition back in '94 and was the Churchill Theatre's New Playwright of the Year in 2002. To date he has completed one novel, five plays (one of which was performed at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley in July) and innumerable short stories. He is currently putting the finishing touches to a (hopefully) comic novel about a fringe theatre playwright and a writing play about the relationship between Anais Nin and Henry Miller. Tara GouldTara completed her MA in creative writing at Sussex and went on to win an Arvon Award for young writers in 2000. She was published last year in the Asham Anthology, and has had two plays broadcast on radio 4. She worked as a script reader for a film company before giving it all up to have a daughter. Tara runs Short Fuse - a monthly live lit night in Brighton devoted to the short story form and its writers. Zoe GreenZoe Green was born in Scotland, educated at the University of Oxford and the University of East Anglia where she finished her MA in Creative Writing last year. In 2004, she won the Harpers and Queen Orange Short Story Prize in 2004 and in 1999 she was shortlisted for the Vogue New Young Writer prize. She is now Writer in Residence at Charterhouse School. Stuart GreenStuart, 32, has written a number of short stories and a novella. He has won the Stuart Green Award for Fiction every year since 1975. Nadine GrieveNadine Grieve lives in London where she writes and teaches creative writing. She has also worked for the BBC, producing programmes such as "Woman's Hour", "Any Questions?" and "Watchdog". Victoria GriggVictoria studied English Literature at Sheffield University where she also trained to be a teacher. After teaching English in South Yorkshire for the past five years and completing a Masters in International Cinema, she has moved down south where she currently volunteers with the London International Gypsy Film Festival and also works as a supply teacher. Amongst all this, she dedicates time to writing and is currently working on some poems. Lewis HallLewis was born in 1984 in Leeds and is currently studying a BA in English Literature With Creative Writing at Lancaster University. Taking part in Tales of the Decongested is, so far, his only real achievement but he hopes to develop a more exciting biography over time. Lander HawesLander has been writing fiction regularly since his mid twenties. In the last five years he has written and thrown away two novels and is now drafting a third. He has read his short stories on Radio Norfolk and seen a couple published. He lives in Norwich where he's studying for a creative writing diploma in advanced fiction. Emma HendersonEmma Henderson was born in London in 1958. She has worked as a blurb-writer, an English teacher and, from 2000 - 2005, as a hotelier in the French Alps. She currently lives in London and is a full-time student on the MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck. Kate HendersonKate was born in Lancashire, grew up in Southampton, studied in Oxford and now lives in South London. She has recently returned to writing and has taken a number of evening classes. She mostly works on short stories, thinking about them on her way into work, and writing them up at the kitchen table in the evening. Peter HigginsPeter Higgins lives and works in London. Sally HinchcliffeSally Hinchcliffe was born in London and is living there now, having recently returned from two years living and working in Swaziland. She is currently combining working at Kew Gardens with doing the Birkbeck Creative Writing MA and working on a novel. Sara HiornsSara Hiorns was born in London in 1972. She comes from a family every member of which could be called eccentric: but not in a good way. They nonetheless continue to provide her with inspiration for stories and longer works (Perfect Size Nines, a biography of her grandmother and The Half of It, a fictional account of her mothers family in the 1950s). Her story All the hairdressers I have ever been to was published in the Tales of the Decongested Volume One. She joined the diplomatic service in 2004 and is currently working on a comic novel based on her experiences there. Bruce Holland RogersBruce Holland Rogers is an American writer living for two years in London. He teaches fiction writing long-distance for a low-residency post-graduate program in the U.S. state of Washington.. More of Bruce's stories are online at www.shortshortshort.com, where you can also learn about his subscription service: a year of very short stories, three stories a month, for £6. Anna HopeAnna is a Mancunian actress living in Hackney, East London. She is studying at Birkbeck College on the Creative Writing M.A. She loves short shorts, especially on big men. Jo HorsmanJo lives in Sussex—she moved house earlier today. Her stories have been published in Litro and Tall Tales and Modern Fables. Two stories were recently commended in Leaf Books' competition. Kate HoylandKate Hoyland began writing fiction at the age of three, and has since been striving to recapture the quality of her early work, which features a character called Penguinydust and the sound of something brown. She is a journalist and radio producer, and currently teaches journalism, news writing and radio writing at the BBC World Service. She is currently working on her first novel. Linda JamesAfter modeling, singing and living abroad for 10 years, Linda James returned to the UK and lectured in English before becoming a full-time writer. She has had one book and a number of short stories and poems published. Now, she is concentrating on writing for the screen: she has written a number of feature films and co-written a psychological thriller for television. She also enjoys being the Creative Writing Tutor at The Camden Centre in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Heidi JamesHeidi is a writer, editor and journalist living in London. Her publications include the novel Carbon (Wrecking Ball Press, 2008), and the novella ‘The Mesmerist’s Daughter’, published in Two Tall Tales and One Short Novel (Apis Books, 2007). Her short stories have appeared in Paris Bitter Hearts Pit, Dreams That Money Can Buy, The Off Beat Generation, City Sickness, Full Moon Empty Sports Bag and in a number of magazines and websites. Heidi is arts editor of 3:AM Magazine and the proprietor of Social Disease. D C JeffreysD C Jeffreys fiction is part protest against Blair's rhetoric - a debased, dishonest language that is always the indication of a regime in its death-throes - and part rallying call to flaneurs and disgruntled capitalists everywhere. Marek KazmierskiBorn in Warsaw 1973, Marek Kazmierski moved to London as a teenager, and has always been a keen writer and painter. Following years of life research (as a restaurateur, translator, stripper, teacher, security guard, etc.), he now leads a library-based project in Feltham prison. He is also hard at work on a self-penned/directed/acted feature film, The Fifth Season, which combines the genres of poetry, prose and cinematic drama (www.songofzen.com). Thomas KendallThomas Kendall is currently working on his first novel that includes among other things sentient sculptures, Nazi space ships and a voice searching for its body. He has worked in a dour Alice In Wonderland theme park, a sewerage and worst of all the post office. His work has previously appeared in the 'Userlands' Anthology published by akashic press. Paul LaffanHow do I Get An "A" In This Class? Paul Laffan is the author of the novels At Park and Duval (Spectrum, online), The Bamboo’s Mad Again (Online Originals) and 3 Women 4 (Bastard Books). Also of the chapbook of poetry and short fiction Love Shock (Blue Claw Cat Press). He is currently at work on a fourth novel, entitled Southbound on the Northern Line, and several critical articles. He is a tutor in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London and Morley College. Rebekah Lattin-RawstroneRebekah Lattin-Rawstrone was born in Kenya and has traveled widely in Europe, America, India, Malaysia and Japan. She now lives in Peckham. Since winning The Promis Prize for Young Writers in The London Writers Award 2002, Rebekah has written numerous short stories and is currently working on a novel set in London and East Africa. Carlie LazarCarlie is an Australian writer living in London. Her favourite marine parasite is the Sacculina. Mark LewisMark Lewis has been an actor in theatre, TV and film for thirty years and has a long association with the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. For years he has been writing screenplays, TV series, short films, poetry and short stories, but has only been doing it seriously for about the last ten years. His work has not been produced or published, but it has been commissioned. He starts an MA at Goldsmiths in September. Andrew Lloyd-JonesAndrew Lloyd-Jones was born in 1971 and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He studied English Literature at the University of York, and currently lives in London. His fiction has been featured on Pulp.Net, in the Canongate anthology Original Sins, and in 2003 he won the Fish Prize with his story Feathers and Cigarettes. Lesley MaceLesley writes her stories and novels in a room shared by numerous demi-johns full of fermenting home-made wine – and a cat named Poe. She has been writing since 2003 and has written over seventy short stories, many of which have been published or have won prizes in competitions. She writes stories in crime, horror, literary, supernatural, historical and contemporary. Last year, helped by a grant from Arts Council England, she completed her novel Fathoming Shadows. The book is set partly in Cornwall in the 1830s and partly in Cornwall and London in 2007. Lesley is seeking representation for this book. In February 2008 her story The Ash Tree will appear in All Hallows, the journal of the Ghost Story Society. Lesley is currently working on a new book set in the underworld of Victorian London. Adrian MacLeodAdrian MacLeod is a journalist who has spent most of his life writing about engineering regulations and praying that his magazines don’t appear on the last round of Have I Got News For You. He recently took to fiction on the understanding that making things up would be easier. This turned out to be a horrible lie. He finished his first novel this summer and is currently looking for someone to publish it. Anthony MaloneAnthony Malone is 34 and has lived and travelled widely in South London. His fiction has appeared on the Guardian Online website, performed at the London Writloud event and recorded for London Link Radio. He once appeared on Jim'll Fix It but, sadly, wasn't fixed. Justine MannJustine Mann works as information manager in the Civil Service. In 2003, with the help of City University, she finally found the courage to progress from occasional scribbling to short story writing and hopes to begin work on a novel soon. Leslie MappThe day Leslie found himself making dog-brush handles for a living, he changed direction straight away, but his stories continue the theme - as handles for imaginary brushes with life. Katherine MayKatherine May is 27 and lives in Rochester, Kent. She writes short stories and is currently working on her first novel. She is also a founder-member of the Medway Mermaids, an all-female writing circle. When not writing, she likes making chutney and listening to grrrl punk. Julie MayhewJulie Mayhew is an actress and writer. Her fiction has appeared in Monday Night Lit, Litro and The First Line. She has co-written two comedic plays both staged at London's Kings Head Theatre and has written for the web, magazines and the national press. Julie is currently in need of some sleep after giving birth to a second son at the end of November. Tracy Maylath7 facts about Tracy Maylath: owns a talking dog, Columbine High School graduate, ex-performance poet, married to rock star, avid reader of Heat magazine, misses nothing more from her home country than neon-spray cheese, unrealistically seeking to get famous enough writing short stories that someone else will write her biography. Frances McCallumAfter careers in IT and teaching Frances McCallum abandoned work to look after her children. She currently works part-time as a proofreader and writes screenplays, novels, sitcom and short stories. Maria McCarthyMaria McCarthy has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Kent, has written and broadcast for Radio 4’s Home Truths, and has self-published two collections of prose and poetry, Learning to be English and Nothing But. She lives in the Medway Towns, and is currently working on a collection of stories about Irish women living in England. Alan McCormickAlan McCormick was born in Kenya, and lives in south London. 'Meet the Builder' is part of his collection, Dogsbodies , completed with the assistance of an Arts Council Writer's Award. His story, 'Real Mummy' won the 2004 Middlesex University Press Literary Prize, and other stories have been published in the Bridport Prize anthology, Matter 4 and most recently on Pulp.net. He is currently writing about his local area during last July's bombings. Yvonne McDermottYvonne McDermott lives in East London. She earns her living by working as an administrator in a university, but she would prefer to be a writer (or a painter). Kelly McKainKelly McKain decided to be a writer at age five, when her mother broke it to her that she couldn't be a mermaid. She is a full time author of fiction for children and teenagers, which involves a lot of "research" in Miss Selfridge and "thinking" in parks. Kelly lives in Chiswick with a fridge full of chocolate. Bob MerckelBob is an American expat who recently retrieved his soul from a lease-to-buy programme in corporate marketing/branding. He now lives in London, happily teaching English and scribbling stories. His tales have been featured at http://wysiwygtalentshow.org/, http://www.lulu.com/content/739873, and his weekly http://www.bobzyeruncle.com/archives/001883.html" Natasha MirzoianNatasha Mirzoian was born in Russia and is of Armenian origin, moving to the UK when she was a child. After completing her studies in Literature at the University of East Anglia she spent some years working in the publishing industry, but decided instead of reading other people's books she would much rather try writing her own. She now lives in London and is working on her first novel. Diana MitchenerIn 2000 and 2002 Diana Mitchener won the performance category of the Muse and Music Monologue Competition and enjoys performing her poetry regularly. A prized possession is the Biscuit Medallion won at a Poetry Slam in April. Her most bizarre experience was reading 'Tale Ends' at a friend's funeral service. Claire MunroClaire Munro was born in Edinburgh in 1965 and thinks that sounds much longer ago than it feels. She lives in South East London pretending to be a writer. Chris MurrayChris Murray was born in India, 47 years ago, but has lived here since he was two. He works in the City as a telecoms engineer, but he doesn't fix phones, (or very much else nowadays.) As far as writing goes, he has enjoyed writing stories from an early age, and won a couple of prizes at school. Sadly, since then, he has only really written stuff for his children to read, and when they grew too old to fall for his tales he inflicted them on a couple of writing classes. This story is his first ever submission. Lee NelsonOona and Len - The Method of Modern Love ‘Oona and Len’ is a thinly disguised account of the events of autumn 2000/spring 2001 in the life of someone not distant from the author. The names have been changed to protect the indolent. Lee Nelson has been published in Gargoyle and in some small press things. He has recently had a story, ‘The Precisionists’, published as a stand-alone edition by the Monkey Kettle Press in Milton Keynes. He's probably got a copy on him. Andrew NewshamAndrew Newsham was born in Burnley in 1975. He won the Esquire prize for short fiction in 2001 and became the first writer from Europe to be invited to America by the Jack Kerouac Writers in Residence Project in 2003. He now lives in Birmingham and is working on a novel. Four of his latest stories appear in the anthology, Dreams Never End, which is available in all good bookshops. Alex NorthAlex North has nearly completed an MPhil in Writing at the University of Glamorgan for which she has written a novella and a collection of short stories. Just the dreaded critical paper to go now. She worked in London as a money broker for a while and decided that she needed to move to a place where they had windows in their offices and big skies - so she moved to Wales and did a degree in English and Theatre. Alex has been teaching Creative Writing to keep herself out of mischief and has had a couple of short stories published. She aims to up that number considerably once the MPhil is complete and she has her life back. Mark O'NeilMark O'Neil is 28, and completed a writing course at Goldsmiths. He reads occasionally with other wordy-folk at a flower shop in Hither Green. He's been writing for years, but is a recent convert to the joy of soup making. Fiona O’SullivanFiona O’Sullivan is from the midlands of Ireland and has lived in London for seven years. A qualified medical doctor, she has also worked in theatre and once toured the USA acting with a crazy Irish troupe. A recent creative writing course has spurred her to finally put pen to paper. Anna PackhamAnna Packham is a freelance writer and lives by the sea in Brighton where she has never seen a porpoise, dolphin, whatever. Her stories have recently featured in Long Story Short, Bushducks, Voracity Beat, Mosaic Minds and she has forthcoming publications in Scarlet and The Beat. Read more at www.inkspiller.co.uk Menaka RamanAfter a series of unfortunate choices – yellow tights with Doc Martens, a degree in computer science, spending five years as an advertising copywriter – Menaka Raman finally decided to chuck it all in last year to write. Now a freelance travel and lifestyle writer, Menaka is working on a collection of short stories, blogs furiously and has a secret daytime TV addiction. Her non-fiction story 'Immigrant' will be published in the Decibel Penguin Prize Anthology - FROM THERE TO HERE: Sixteen True Tales of Immigration to Britain - this November. Nick RathboneNick Rathbone is a complementary therapist and has been writing poetry, songs and short stories since the late 70’s. In 2000 an extended period of personal turmoil (what else?) commenced reviving his creative juices. He has a web presence at shortstories.org.uk.Lou ReadeLou Reade grew up in Bristol and attended Swansea University. In 1990 he moved to London, where he has worked ever since as a journalist and editor. He lives in South East London with his partner and three children. Farah RezaFarah can’t remember how long she’s been writing because it’s been a while and she has quite a poor memory. She used to be a books editor and currently works for New Humanist Magazine. Farah is currently working on a novel with the help of the Royal Literary Fund's Writers' Pool and a wonderful writing class by run by the Centerprise Literature Development project Jim RisnerJim is an American from the United States. Tall by birth, he likes long words and moved to London to be with his wife (and later on his daughter) centuries ago. After a few failed cons in the late 90s Jim is now working on his prose. Jim has never been published and wouldn't know a publisher if one bit him on the arse. Though he does think that this might make a good story. He no longer wears a duck on his head. Fiona Ritchie WalkerFiona is originally from Montrose, Scotland, now living in NE England. She works full-time for the fair trade organisation Traidcraft and writes early morning and evening, so her house is a tip. She writes mainly poetry. Her first collection Lip Reading was published by Diamond Twig (www.diamondtwig.co.uk) in 1999. She won a New Writing North Award 2004 to complete a second collection, Garibaldi's Legs, to be published by Iron Press next year. The award also provided a years' mentorship to develop her short story writing. One of her short stories will be published in Newcastle Stories 1 (Comma Press) in August 2004. Nina RobertsonNina Robertson lives between London and the Norfolk Broads. She is studying for an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College. She is working on her first novel. Liz RosenLiz Rosen has published her short fiction and non-fiction in various publications. She has worked as an associate producer for television news and as a writer for Nickelodeon Television. In 1993 she won a Writer-in-Residence Fellowship at the Syvenna Foundation (Texas) and in 1994 was chosen by Glimmer Train as one of its top twenty-five new writers for their Short-Story Award for New Writers contest. Her short fiction appeared in Above Ground: an Anthology of Southern Writers, and has been read on the radio and at the Fifth International Conference on the Short Story. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in literature on contemporary apocalyptic fiction and film. Elizabeth Rutherford-JohnsonElizabeth Rutherford-Johnson started writing shorts as an excuse not to redraft The Novel and now can't kick the habit. Born in Dublin, she lives in London where she works as a writer and editor. Her short fiction has appeared in Mslexia (April 07 issue), LITRO, The New Writer and www.pulp.net. The Novel is coming along nicely despite the lure of more concise forms. Imogen SaltImogen Salt is 29 and has been a poet for ages. She does readings in and around London and has been printed in Magma, Inclement and Rising. Once had a short erotic story published by Black Lace. Recently got a bit stuck with poems so wrote a story. Can only do really short things...got a short attention span. Just moved to Hastings.... is that enough? Ella SaltmarsheElla Saltmarshe lives in London. She writes short stories, plays and is currently working on a novel. She also climbs mountains. Alessandra SartoreAlessandra Sartore learnt English in her native Italy by listening to David Bowie records. She came to London to meet The Clash and wrote for "Rockstar" magazine. She is completing an MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and has written a collection of short fiction If I Was a Good Girl, Would I Write Such Wicked Stories. Her debut novel Trail features Cambodian refugees, drug smuggling and revenge. Amanda SchiffMi Argentina Querida (My Beloved Argentina) Amanda Schiff left school at sixteen to pursue a career in film, and is now an independent producer and teacher of screenwriting. She was shortlisted for the 2001 Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, and a short story "Anamorphic Breakup" will be published in the launch issue of Mechanic's Insitute Review (MIR) this autumn. Amanda is writing a novel about love, death and supernatural possession set in Los Angeles. It has nothing to do with the film industry. Justine ShawA taxi driver touches his steering wheel more than his wife Justine lives with her husband in Kentish Town. and is working on her first novel, Waterloo Sunset. One day she would like to swim in all the Olympic pools across the world.Justin SmallJustin Small grew up in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol in the 80s. He was given a well rounded education in mass tourism, gay culture, bad architecture and English hooliganism. He then went on to study Engineering in Italy. Since then, as Bill Hicks aptly put it, he has been 'sucking satan's cock' and earning a living in marketing. Writing is his mouthwash. Sasha SmithSasha wishes she could say she'd published in hundreds of magazines and had a book of short stories on the way, but she can't. What she can say is that she runs a writing group south of the river, started writing when she was eight - mainly to keep out of the firing line of a horrible teacher with a mean temper who liked to throw chairs - and plans to continue until she dies... Christopher SmithChristopher Smith was born and raised in North London. He has a degree in Writing, Drama and Live Arts from Manchester Metropolitan University. He has been a performance poet and a comedy promoter. He also teaches creative writing workshops. Steve SmithsonSteve Smithson is, during the day, a senior lecturer in information systems at the London School of Economics. He became bored with the delights of computers a few years ago and turned to writing in desperation. He followed the Certificate in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and is now halfway through a part-time MA at Goldsmiths. A mature student, in terms of age count, he is currently writing short stories as he tries to find a voice to attempt a longer work. He has always lived in London but travels extensively. Michael SpringMichael Spring has been married for years to a beautiful lady, is a director of a corporate design agency, and is still trying to do the writing he should have done when youth was on his side. M L StedmanOriginally from Western Australia, Margot Stedman has lived in London for many years. She began reading at Tales of the Decongested in 2004, and her works have been published in Tales of the Decongested, Volume 1 and Litro. More of her stories will feature in Desperate Remedies, an anthology of new fiction due for publication by Apis Books in April. Ashley StokesAshley Stokes lives in Norwich and teaches creative writing for the University of East Anglia and the Open University. He has published over 20 short stories and won a 2002 Bridport Prize for The Suspicion of Bones. Rebecca StonehillRebecca Stonehill lives near Cambridge with her husband and eighteen-month-old baby. She teaches piano and works for an NGO that helps developing world photographers. As well as many short stories, Rebecca has also written a full-length novel set in the Spanish Civil War. Judith TaylorJudith Taylor has just completed the Certificate in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and now belongs to a very supportive writers' group. She has written one (unpublished) novel and is trying to complete another. In between, she writes short stories. Julie TomaszJulie Tomasz is a travel writer and editor by profession, and a short story writer by devotion. During bouts of writer's block and between freelance assignments, she volunteers as a cat socialiser, does unreasonable amounts of laundry, and cannot deny watching "Neighbours". She lived in Budapest and her native New York before moving to London two years ago. Richard Tyrone JonesRichard is a poet, comic, short story writer and host of the Arts-Council funded 'Utter!' at the Salisbury Pub, Green Lanes on the last Wednesday of the month (the next, on Weds 30th April, features Iain Sinclair). Consult myspace.com/richardtyronejones for his many upcoming gigs. Christian WalshChristian Walsh is a journalist, writer and editor, living and working in London. He travels when he can, and writes about travel when he can't. In between, Chris writes short stories of increasing length and verbiage, but has yet to discover whether Word has a page limit. Until he drops off the map into infiinite drivel, expect to find more of his noodlings just a few clicks away: www.christianwalsh.com. Guy WareWilling to sell his soul, Guy Ware took his laptop to the crossroads at midnight. Unfortunately, it seems the Devil uses a Mac; they were not compatible. Kit WhitfieldKit Whitfield holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she studied under W.G. Sebald and Andrew Motion. As well as having several short stories anthologised, she is the author of numerous cute non-fiction books, some written under a pen name, and a lot of sales copy. She is currently re-drafting her first novel, which is a literary thriller about werewolves, if you can imagine such a thing. Hilary WilcePhyllis Partington Dances Naked in Dodge City Hilary Wilce has just finished an MA in creative writing at Birkbeck. She has won a number of awards for her short fiction, including the Mathew Prichard Award, the Ian St James Award and the Kent Literary Festival prize. She has also written a number of formula romances -- under a pseudonym. She works as an education journalist, mainly for The Independent, where she writes a weekly column. She has also written a book for parents about schools. Heather WilliamsHeather Williams is 27 and lives in London. She grew up in sedate Connecticut suburbia and is about to move to Berlin. Her writing is fuelled by the desperate belief that she must be good at something. Her first-ever published story will appear in the September issue of Birkbeck's Mechanics Institute Review, and she is working on a novel. Tom WilliamsTom Williams studied Philosophy at University College London. He writes poetry and fiction, and lives in North London with two goats called Silas and Otto. Laura WilliamsLaura Williams is a Londoner who writes mainly about parks and fried chicken shops. She is a student on the Birkbeck Creative Writing Certificate and had her first story published in The Mechanics’ Institute Review, 4 this summer. Rachel WolcottRachel Wolcott has been living in London for four years working as a financial journalist. She has been writing since she was a child, when she wrote stories about frogs and other amphibians. She started writing about humans a few years ago. Maggie WomersleyWhere Were You When the Bombs Went Off? Maggie Womersley grew up in West Sussex but has spent the last four years living in Stepney Green, East London. She has travelled extensively on the District Line and held numerous pointless jobs in the television production industry. She is currently writing the biography of the celebrated girl about Camden town, Lucy Madison. |