News

 

THE WINNERS OF
THE 3rd FISH INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE
ARE:

 

WINNER:

 

THE STOLEN SHEELA NI GIG or AGHAGOWER SPEAKS

JEAN O'BRIEN - PORTARLINGTON, IRELAND

 

RUNNERS-UP:  

 

DECEASED EFFECTS - SALLY ANNE ADAMS, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, ENGLAND

IN THE MIDST OF LIFE .. - MARY ANNE PERKINS, RICHMOND, ENGLAND

THE DAVID, OUR DAVID - SUSAN KEITH, EUGENE, OREGON, USA

OLD TOWN MAZATLAN - LAURENCE O'DWYER, TIPPERARY, IRELAND

NORTH LAKE - LELAND JAMES, FLORIDA, USA

 


 

THE WINNERS OF
THE FISH ONE-PAGE PRIZE 2008
ARE:

 

WINNER:

WE WILL GO ON AHEAD AND WAIT FOR YOU

MICHAEL LOGAN - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND


RUNNERS-UP:                          

MY NAME IS FOR MY FRIENDS - KEVEN SCHNADIG, NEW YORK, USA

THE BASKET - NICK HODGKINSON, BRISTOL, ENGLAND

MILK RUN - BRUCE STIRLING, CONNECTICUT, USA

THE BUSTERS - FIONA RITCHIE WALKER, BLAYDON, ENGLAND

THE THEME FROM (LOVE STORY) - KURT ACKERMANN, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

BLEAR - ALAN MURPHY, DUBLIN, IRELAND

 


 

The Short Lists for the Fish One-Page Prize and the Third Fish International Poetry competition have now been announced.

 

For the Fish One-Page Prize 2008:

Ancestors - A Snake Awakes - Back There - Big Sister - Blear

Bloom Where You're Planted - Case History - House Gone Blind

Milk Run - My Name Is For My Friends - 100 Year Old Man

Origami - Red Tin of Tobacco - Tasting Pansies - The Basket

The Busters - The Meddler- They Say That belgium is a Nice country

(The Theme From) Love Story - Things About Comin' My Way - Tiptoes Revenge 

Visiting Time - We Will Go on Ahead and Wait For You - What Happened Off Ecuador

 

For the Third Fish International Poetry Prize:

A ghazal is not a gazelle, it's a ghuzzle - A Land of Plenty - An Unequal Dialogue

As luck would have it - Banquet in the Hall of Happiness - Bread

Brief history of politics - Deceased Effects - First words - For her it is me

Instinct - Intelligent Design - In the midst of life . . .

Lies Beneath - Mahon Falls - Même Wars - Nipper, Buck And Me

North Lake - Old Town Mazatlan - On A Beach In Dublin - Roman Road

Safari - Seasons - Son Of The Soil - Straws and Camels - Swan Song

The Art of Becoming You - The Black Rose Turns To Red

The box of beautiful children - The David, Our David - The Good Word

The Stolen Sheela Ni Gig or Aghagower Speaks


The Long List for the Fish One-Page Prize is:


100 YEAR OLD MAN - 6´4"- ALL ARMS & LEGS - A BIT ON THE SIDE
A SNAKE AWAKES - BACK THERE - BIG SISTER - BLEAR
BLOOM WHERE YOU'RE PLANTED - BLUE CHEESE - BOUCHIER AND CO
COMFORT FOOD - DARREN AND SAMANTHA - DINNER
EXODUS, RWANDA 1994 - FOOTBALL IN CROATIA - FORTY YEARS
FUTILITY - GETTING HOME - GONE DARK FOR A BIT - GREEN - GRIEF
HOUSE GONE BLIND - IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE - JANE DOE
LAST B'DAY - (THE THEME FROM) LOVE STORY - LOVE YOU FOREVER!
MARS AND VENUS - MESSAGES - MILK RUN - MY NAME IS FOR MY FRIENDS
NATURALLY, FLOTSAM - OLD BOB - ONCE IN VENICE - ORIGAMI
PASSING SHIPS - PIGEON LOVE - RED TIN OF TABACCO
REVOLUTION IS NOT A TEA PARTY - SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID
SOUNDSCAPE - STEALING MOMENTS - STELLA BY STARLIGHT
STUCK THROUGH THE BONES WITH LOVE - SUSPECT
THE BASKET - THE BUSTERS - THE CHAIR - THE EYES HAVE IT
THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING COM - THE MEDDLER
THE UNRECOGNISED CONTRIBUTION OF THE JACK RUSSELL TERRIER
THINGS ABOUT COMIN' MY WAY - THIS ONE DAY . . . IN ART CLASS
THREE-MINUTE CHILD - THEY SAY THAT BELGIUM IS A NICE COUNTRY
TIPTOES REVENGE - TOFU, NOT BONES - TWO BREATHS OF GREEN
VISITING TIME - WATERPROOF, LIGHTWEIGHT, GOOD IN SNOW
WE WILL GO ON AHEAD AND WAIT FOR YOU
WHAT HAPPENED OFF ECUADOR - WHEN SHE SPEAKS - YELLOW FEATHERS



Winners will be announced on the 30th of April


 

 

THE WINNERS OF
THE FISH SHORT STORY PRIZE 2007
ARE:

WINNER:
HARLEM RIVER BLUES - JULIA van MIDDLESWORTH, NEW JERSEY, USA

 

SECOND:

IN BETWEEN - JUSTINE MANN, LONDON, ENGLAND

 

THIRD:

SCHOTTISCHE - JOHN BOLLAND, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND



RUNNERS-UP:                          

ALL STATIONS TO EPPING - KELLY O'REILLY, LONDON, ENGLAND

LIFE AND LETTERS - PAUL BROWNSEY, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

SOON YOU WON'T SEE ME - WES LEE, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

THE HEN PARTY - JANIS FREEGARD, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

THE JOB OF SEX - SARAH DUNNAKEY - WEST YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND

THE POINT OF IMPACT- GARY MALONE, NSW, AUSTRALIA

 


SHORT-LIST - The Fish Short Story Prize 2007


Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying stories for the 2007 Fish Short Story Prize short-list.

 

A Soldier of the Woods

All Stations To Epping

Babies' Breath

Brown Bird: Yellow Tree

Central Park

Cowboy Williams Dances

Crossover

Enki And The Smart Bomb   

Fish Tale   

Harlem River Blues

Hurrying Handbags to Kyleakin  

In Between    

Jacob's Ladder

Life And Letters

Scottische

Soon You Won't See Me

Stalking Sophie

Staying Power

The Burning

The Dyan's Daughter      

The Hen Party

The Job of Sex     

The Parcel       

The Point of Impact     

The Second America 

This Moment Between Things

Wheat


 

. . . Words From a Glass Bubble

Vanessa Gebbie, runner-up in the Fish Short Story Prize 2006 has just had her new collections of short stories "Words From a Glass Bubble" published by Salt Publishing.

"Ruth Padel, in her latest book, described some poems as having "a taut cat's cradle of sonic echoing". Some stories here create a similar cat's cradle of concepts...Enough good pieces in enough styles for the book to be used as an anthology demonstrating how stories should be written nowadays".   (Tim Love, on Tim Love's Literary References)

A small sample of Vanessa's writing is available to read in our Short Stories to Read on Line area and you can buy her book from Salt Publishing or from Amazon.

Vanessa has agreed to judge this year's Fish One-Page Prize and will be at this year's West Cork Literary Festival to present the prizes and to run a very, very short story competition of her own.

 


 

LONG-LIST - The Fish Short Story Prize 2007

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying stories for the 2007 Fish Short Story Prize long-list. Winners will be announced on 17th March 2008.

The Long-listed Stories are:

 

1959

 

A Clouded Yellow Year - A Cambodian Symphony: Four Movements and a Second Wind

A Lunar Number - A Matter of Control - A Soldier of the Woods

A Thousand Needles - A Wednesday Evening - Accidents Happen

All Stations to Epping - All The Roads That Lead From Home

An Accidental life - As the Buddha Lies

 

Babies' Breath - Bandstand in the Rain - Blind Drunk

Between Wave Crash and Silence - Brainsex and the Masculinists

Brown Bird: Yellow Tree - Brahman Black Eyes

By the River's Edge - Brim is Gorgeous

 

Can You Do A Dublin Accent? - ccggaagffeeddc - Central Park - Charnel Relations

Cold Turkey - Cotton - Counting - Cowboy Williams Dances - Crossover

 

Daddy - Day of Reckoning - Diminished - Dumb Noise - Dyads

 

Enki and the Smart Bomb

 

Falsely Accused - Fields of Gold - Finding Treasure - Fish Tale

For Love of The Pierre Bonnard - Foul play

 

Go Back, Gorgeous - God's Breath

 

Harlem River Blues - How To Stay Lost - Howling of a Dog

Hurrying Handbags to Kyleakin

 

In between - Istiraha Café

 

Jacob's Ladder

 

Life and Letters - Losing it

 

Meat - Melton: the place to be... - Mrs Success - Her First Attempt

 

New Shoes - Nietzsche and the Cleaning Lady

 

Old Dog Barking - One of Those Days - Out of Season

 

Patricia Doheney - Port Fairy

 

Quitting

 

Regrette Rien

 

Sadie's View - Scottische (To the tune of A Trip to Sligo )

Serafina - Shakespeare's Garden - Someone New to Care For

Soon You Won't See Me - Stalking Sophie - Staying Power

Stein(ed) Rose - Stella - Spread the word

 

The Badly Madly Lodger - The Beach in the Garden - The Blackmail Letter

The Cellist's Hands, The Barmaid's Shoes - The Cat Meat Man

The Chip-Shop Girls - The Day of the Bear - The Emperor's New Underwear

The Errand - The Expatriate - The Fishwife - The Front Seat Passenger

The Gift - The Hanging Basket - The Hen Party - The Intruder - The Job of Sex

The Never Fair - The Parcel - The Preservation Society - The Point of Impact

The Recycler - The Rumourmonger - The Samurai's Cry - The Second America

The Silver Stopper - The Shadow - The Traffic Tuner - The True History of Paul Bunyan

They Know I Am Beneath Them - Things That Make Me Sweat

This Moment Between Things - This is Where I Leave My Heart

Together Forever - Town Car

 

Vostock VI

 

Wake - Wailing - Walking Backwards - Wheat

Wingbeat - Words From The East End , July, 1903

 

 


 

 

Keith Souter, 2006 winner of the Fish Historical Short Fiction Prize has just had his latest novel published by Robert Hale.

Read a recent interview with Keith (One of our judges for the 2007 Summer Competitions!) and "The Pardoner's Crime" a historical crime novel set around the beautiful Sandal Castle.

Congratulations to Keith from everyone here at Fish Publishing.

 

 


 

THE WINNERS OF
THE FISH-KNIFE AWARDS 2007
ARE:

 

WINNER:

THE DYAN'S DAUGHTER- LINDA EVANS, HIGH WYCOMBE, ENGLAND

RUNNERS-UP:

 

TO BE AN ANGEL - DOUGLAS BRUTON, WEST LINTON, SCOTLAND

BABIES' BREATH - KATHY COOGAN, CINCINNATI, OHIO

WHO PICKED KRIVOKAPIC'S BRAIN? - ANDREW GEDDES, SIDCUP, ENGLAND 

ANYTHING FOR YOU - SOPHIE LITTLEFIELD, DANVILLE, CALIFORNIA

WHITE CRAYONS - GORDON HOPKINS, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

 


 

THE WINNERS OF
THE SHORT HISTORIES AWARDS 2007
ARE:

 

WINNER:

THE BURNING - CLARE GIRVAN, EXETER, ENGLAND

RUNNERS-UP:                          

TAKING THE KING'S SHILLING - MIN LEE, GERS, FRANCE

THE TRUE HISTORY OF BONA LOMBARDA - VAL WATERHOUSE, SONDRIO, ITALY

THE SILVER STOPPER - SARAH LINE LETELLIER, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

THE SONS OF CAIN - PATRICK HOLLAND, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA            

TYMES OF MONSTERS - LYNDA  McDONALD, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

           

 


 

THE WINNERS OF THE
CRIMINALLY-SHORT SHORT HISTORIES AWARDS 2007
ARE:


HISTORY WINNER:

 

KILMAINHAM DAWN - MICHELE McGRATH, ISLE OF MAN

 

JOINT CRIME WINNERS:

WOMAN WANT - BRUCE STIRLING, CONNICTICUT

MIDNIGHT MARK - RAY SPARVELL, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

 

HISTORICAL-CRIME WINNER

 

FALL RIVER, AUGUST 1892 - SARAH HILARY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

 

RUNNERS UP:

TRAIN OF THOUGHT - ELIZABETH KUZARA, WYOMING

THE BENEFITS OF ARSENIC - NIAMH RUSSELL, Co. WICKLOW

THE EYAM STONES - SARAH HILARY, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

THE SANDMEN OF SYRACUSE - STUART DELVES, EDINBURGH

 

As usual the crime stories have split our judges so, as with last years Fish-Knife Award, we have joint winners of the Crime section of the Criminally-Short Short Histories Award. Each winner in this section will receive 250 Euro in prize money and 10 copies of the Fish Anthology 2008. Our other winners will receive 500 Euro each plus the anthologies, and the runners-up will each receive 100 euro and 5 copies of the Anthology. All these winning stories will appear in the 2008 Anthology and all of the winners will be invited to read their stories at the Book Launch and Awards Ceremony in July of 2008.

Congratulations to all the winners and runner's-up, and especially to Sarah Mellor who won the Historical-Crime section and also was runner-up in the Historical section, and so will have two stories in the Fish Anthology 2008.


 

Winning Fish Author CARYS DAVIES has her first short-story collection published!

 


 

The Short-lists for the Fish Summer Competitions have now been announced.

 

They are:-

 

For The Fish-Knife Award:


Anything for You
Babies' Breath

Breaking it

Liar, Liar
Magic Beans

Salem Witch Hunt now on the Internet

The Death of the Aardvark

The Dyan's Daughter
The Last Campaign

The Madness of History

To Be An Angel
White Crayons
Who Picked Krivokapic's Brain?
*


 

For Short Histories III:


A Fallen Man

A Fallen Soldier   

Fortune and Men's Eyes

How Arif Learned to Hear

Succubus

Taking The King's Shilling

The Burning

The Silver Stopper

The Sons of Cain
The True History of Nona Lombarda
Tymes of Monsters

Viseons of the Apocalypse


 

For the Criminally-Short Short Histories Award: **


Two Marquises

Morning Hate

Train of Thought

Last Will

The Nurse

Bobo's Hobby.

The Sandmen of Syracuse

Radio Day

Picasso and Fernande

A Stubborn Flaw

The ten unfortunate incidents in Egypt

No Butts

Eviva Il Coltello

The Benefits of Arsenic

Things About Comin' My Way

Historical Research is Easy on the Internet

Long Nap By The Pool

Kilmainham Dawn

Time Crime

Midnight Mark

The Death of Fetterman

The Long And The Short Of It

Woman Want

Old School Ties

The Eyam Stones

Fall River , August 1892

Accessory


 

* Who Picked Krivokapic's Brain? was originally long-listed under the Short Histories Listings, because it was submitted there accidentally.

 

** The Short list and the Long list for the Criminally Short Short Histories Award are the same because we felt all of the finalists were good enough to go for final consideration.


 

 

The ultimate winners of this summer's very short fiction competitions have now been announced and can be viewed in the Micro-Fiction Showcase.

The final winners were decided by the votes of many hundreds of Fish Authors and the, in the poetry section in particular, the competition was very close, but the final winners were:

Don't Just Lie There .........................The Offering

Andrew Irvine - London, England ............G.S. Westfield - Florida, USA


 

The long-lists for the Fish Summer Competitions have also just been released. The stories under review, listed by title only to retain anonymity, are:

 

For The Fish-Knife Award:

Magic Beans

The Last Campaign

Babies' Breath

White Crayons

The Dyan's Daughter

liar, Liar

To Be An Angel

The Heart of the Matter

Untethered

Breaking It

High Tariff

Sonata

Nikita's Revenge

The Death of the Aardvark

ANYTHING FOR YOU

Foul play

....to Roost.

Mr Butterfill's Misdemeanours

Salem Witch Hunts now on the Internet

The Madness of History

The Mermaid's Song

THE CAILLEACH

An Opportunity Seized

Anniversary Cruise

Hidden Among Leaves

 


 

For Short Histories III

 

Who Picked Krivokapic's Brain?

Caught

The True History of Bona Lombarda: A 15th Century Woman of Arms

Recognition

Fortune and Men's Eyes

A Fallen Man

Succubus

The Picture of his Mother

The Preferable Pedro

Viseons of the Apocalypse

How Arif Learned to Hear

Mare Nostrum

Memento Maori

A Fallen Soldier

Rocket Science

The Pearl

Tymes of Monsters

Wakes Week

The Silver Stopper

The Sons of Cain

Taking the King's Shilling

To The End of the Night

Boucher's Girl

Drinking Vodka in the Afternoon

The Burning Com

Straight from the Mouth of Harry J Flint

The Passing


 

For The Criminally-Short Short Histories Award:

 

Two Marquises

Morning Hate

Train of Thought

Last Will

The Nurse

Bobo's Hobby.

The Sandmen of Syracuse

Radio Day

Picasso and Fernande

A Stubborn Flaw

The ten unfortunate incidents in Egypt

No Butts

Eviva Il Coltello

The Benefits of Arsenic

Things About Comin' My Way

Historical Research is Easy on the Internet

Long Nap By The Pool

Kilmainham Dawn

Time Crime

Midnight Mark

The Death of Fetterman

The Long And The Short Of It

Woman Want

Old School Ties

The Eyam Stones

Fall River , August 1892

Accessory

 

We have been delayed by a significant computer progam, so our apologies to everyone out there aho are still on tenter-hooks. We will get the final short lists out as soon aspossible and we still hope to announce the winners at the end of November


 

The Fish Anthology 2007 was launched in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Friday 13th July 2007. Their were well over two hundred guests, and Authors arrived from all over the world to read from their winning stories and poems and to accept their prizes. The prizes were awarded by two of the judges, Clem Cairns and Michael Collins, and the evening was hosted by Jock Howson, Editor of the Fish Anthology, "A Paper heart Is Beating A Paper Boat Sets Sail." You can buy the Anthology now from the
Fish On-Line Bookshop.


The wiiner of the Fish Art-Work Prize 2007 was

William Ferrante, Paper Boats on Paper

Reading, England

 

 

 

 

 


 

The Runners-up are:

Sandra Gorter - Coming Round the Bottom End
Aukland, New Zealand

 

 

 

 

 

J.J. Ferguson- Heart Beat

Glasgow, Scotland

 

 

Nancy Bohm - I Drag My Boat Across The Ocean
Denver, Colorado, USA


 

 

Rebecca Remme - Dreamboat

Collingwood, Ontario, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Donaldson - A Distant Tide

Perth, Scotland

 

 

 

 


 

The WINNER of the
Second Fish International Poetry Prize
is:

TIM LENTON - WITH HIS POEM
The Island Grows On Me

Norwich, England

Tim Lenton was born in 1945, is married with an adult son and two grandchildren. He has lived in Coventry and London and in the Norfolk countryside, but is now back in the centre of Norwich, the city where he was born.

“Although I've written poetry off and on most of my life, I've only really been concentrating on it for the last four years, after taking early retirement from my job as a journalist on the Eastern Daily Press in Norwich, for whom I still write a fortnightly semi-humorous commentary page.” www.back2sq1.co.uk

“I am a member of InPrint, a visual arts and poetry collaborative group based in Norwich and its members have been a big inspiration to me. www.inprintartsandpoetry.co.uk This particular poem was sparked by a recent holiday with friends on the island of Captiva , Florida . As well as writing, I get a kick out of chess and hill-walking (not easy in Norfolk ). Among my favourite poets are: W.B.Yeats, Dylan Thomas, Leonard Cohen, and Gerard Manley Hopkins”


 

The Runners-up are:

Nancy Burke - Philosophy
Evanston, Illinois, USA

 

Debra Shulkes - Where
Prague, Czech Republic

 

Allan Wyer - On the Concourse
Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, USA


Susan Keith - A Festive Holiday Photo

Eugene, Oregon, USA

 

 


 

The WINNER of the
Fish One-Page Prize 2007 is:

PATRICIA MIDDLETON - WITH HER VERY SHORT STORY
SKATERS

Saint Mathieu, France

 

Sunset from Orlaith's house on MadeiraPatricia was born and educated in north Yorkshire and read English at Leicester University. Then she worked as a teacher and librarian in Essex and Devon.

 

She has three grown-up children and has lived in France for four years with her tame artist husband and four semi-feral cats who are no use as paper-weights.

 

Paricia has written short stories, poetry, radio and stage plays, but so far no novels. Her favourite book is ‘Madame Bovary', and her heroes are Nelson Mandela and Freddie Flintoff.


 

The Runners-up are:

Claire Anderson-Wheeler - Body Beautiful
Dublin, Ireland

 

Vicky Grut - Two Brothers
London, England

 

Richard Holeton - Calling Fruits and Vegetables
Montara, California, USA


Julie Koh - HELENA J. GINSBURG (1980-2007)

Concord West, NSW, Australia

 

Antonia Fenton - Always Read The Label

Crawley, West Sussex, England

 


 

The WINNER of the
Fish Short Story Prize 2006/7 is:

KATHLEEN MURRAY WITH HER STORY
A Paper Heart Is Beating, A Paper Boat Sets Sail

Dublin, Ireland

 

Sunset from Orlaith's house on Madeira From Carlow originally, Kathleen traveled for a while around Asia, Canada and the US, but has now lived in Dublin for a good number of years. She graduated with a Psychology Degree and a Masters in Women's Studies from Trinity College, and works as an independent social researcher. In the autumn of 2004 she attended a creative writing course with Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and only through this did she start to write short stories.

 

"A few of my stories have written themselves and some I have to put a lot more work into. A Paper Heart Is Beating, A Paper Boat Sets Sail arrived as an end, and then a beginning, and I had to put most effort into filling up what happened in between. I am a great reader- novels, short stories, comics, poetry, anything, and I think good writing gave me the inclination to attempt to write. I am delighted and astounded to win The Fish Short Story Prize at only my second attempt. I was long-listed last year and I was very shook and completely thrilled when I came to believe that I had actually won this time. ( I thought it was a nasty E-mail trick! ) I feel that it is the story itself that has won though, not me, and I am pleased most of all for the story itself!"


Runner-Up*

Lane Ashfeldt with her story
Dancing on Canvey

* Lane's story was entered into the Fish Short Story Prize as the winner of Short Histories II. (See Below.) The Judges awarded her Second place in the 2006 Fish Short Story Prize. Unfortunately the rules state that you can only win one prize, so Lane has decided to accept the Short Histories Award, and her story will be published in the Fish Anthology 2007 as the winner of Short Histories II


Second Place Prize Winner

Vanessa Gebbie with her story
Words From a Glass Bubble

East Sussex, England

 

Sunset from Orlaith's house on Madeira Vanessa was the result of a series of small collisions between a travelling salesman called Eric and a student nurse. She was given away at birth, brought up by a wonderful Welsh family and spent her child -hood in Wales and the West Country. She now lives in East Sussex and has been writing fiction for four years. She writes to try to make sense of life's ups and downs. [More]

Vanessa teaches Creative Writing, and particularly enjoys working with those on society's margins. She has her own magazine for writing by those whose lives have been touched by addiction, at www.tomsvoicemagazine.com .

Her first novel is gestating. For further information: www.vanessagebbie.com


Third Place Prize Winner

Merryn Glover with her story
Rush of Water

Kingussie, Scotland

 

Sunset from Orlaith's house on MadeiraBorn in Kathmandu, Merryn grew up in Nepal, India and Pakistan. After a teaching degree in Australia (the country of her passport), she moved to Scotland in 1993 and worked freelance as a drama/dance artist and teacher. She and her husband later returned to Nepal where Merryn taught English at an international school and started writing in earnest. Back in Scotland since 2001, Merryn's writing time is now squeezed in and around the lives of two young sons.

Her first major work was the play The Long Way Home, staged in '97 and broadcast on Radio Scotland the following year. She has published several articles and short stories and is working on a novel.

In 2004 she was awarded a Scottish Arts Council New Writer's Bursary for a series of stories set in Nepal. Rush of Water is one of that series.


 

The Runners-up are:

Stuart Tallack* - The Nucker Hole
West Sussex, England

 

Wayne Price- Everywhere Was Water Once
Aberdeen, Scotland

Janey Runci - The Caravan
Maldon, Victoria, Australia

 

Jo Cannon - Insignificant Gestures
Chesterfield, England

 

Lily Mabura - Man in Ultramarine Pajamas
Columbia, Missouri, USA

Paul Byall - Rookie of the Year
Savannah, Georgia, USA

 

* Stuart Tallak also features as a runner-up in Short Histories II

All these stories will be published as part of this year's bumper edition of the Fish Anthology, along with the winners of Short Histories II, the Historical One-Page Prize, and The Fish-Knife Award

Short list and Long-list for the Fish Short story Prize 2006

 

You can order your copy of the Fish Anthology 2007 NOW! For delivery in July. Simply call into the FISH SHOP

 


SHORT-LIST - The Second Fish International Poetry Prize

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying poems for the Second Fish International Poetry Prize short-list. Winners was announced early 10th May 2007,

The Gift of Flight – M. Lee Alexander

You're Not From Here, Are You? - Graham Allen

Philosophy – Nancy Burke

Thunder – Nancy Burke

Beyond Worth - Laura Chan

Listening to Death – Emer Fallon

A Life – Aideen Foley

Executrix - Eilis Foran

Changing Cadence – Sheila Hanrahan

The Gods Must Be Crazy - Luisa Igloria

The Labour of Sympathy – Ruth Johnson

A Festive Holiday Photo – Susan Keith

The Island Grows On Me - Tim Lenton

Lakin Street Thrift Shop - Tony Luebbermann

Greetings from the Funny Farm – Alan McMonagle

November Day Trip – Helena Nolan

A Bite Out of the Moon – Nancy Norton

Lost Crickets - Paul Ó Colmáin

St. Michaels – Karen O'Connor

New York Winter - Patricia Mansfield Phelan

New Moon - Treekisser Random

Travel Scrabble – Catherine Roantree

Flying with Fins – Marlin Santoso

Where – Debra Shulkes

Girls with Sideburns – Victor Tapner

The Ambassador and His Wife Take Afternoon Tea at the Orient Hotel – Victor Tapner

Flannery O'Connor - Billie Travalini

First Born – Eithne Walsh

On The Concourse – Al Lee Wyre


 

SHORT-LIST - The Fish One-Page Prize 2007

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying stories for the 2007 Fish One-page Prize short-list. Winners will be announced on 1st May 2007, when the full short list of Author's will be published.

Claire Anderson-Wheeler - Body Beautiful

Val Banister - STARS

Michele Boylan - Furlough

David Cox - Blobs

Kevin Crespo - Last

Liz Davey - The Beginning of the End

David Frankel -The Hatchling

Vicky Grut - Two brothers

Helene Heaney - Losing My Religion

Julie Henson - Turban Wallah

Richard Holeton - Calling Fruits and Vegetables

Kellie Jackson - In Her Pocket

Julie Koh - HELENA J. GINSBURG (1980-2007) 

Maria Lane - St Ant'ny's Runt

Tracy Lee - Staying Alive

Devin Liddell - Bureau of Dominions

Valya Dudycz Lupescu - "We Go to Gain a Little Patch of Ground"

Virginia Matthews - All Expenses Paid

Patricia Middleton - SKATERS

Bernadette Owens - The Afterclap

Jane Paterson - Always Read the Label

Cynthia Reeves - The Uneaten Pear

Katherine Reynolds - Rainy Sunday

Marlin Santoso - On Air

Wendy Storer - Too much too little too late

Anne Stubbings - A milky instant

Yvonne Eve Walus - The Upgrade

Christie Watson - Starfish


 

 

LONG-LIST - The Second Fish International Poetry Prize

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying authors for the 2007 Fish International Poetry Prize long-list. Winners will be announced on 1st May 2007.

 

Diana Adams - M. Lee Alexander - Graham Allen - Alba Barrie - Nancy Burke

Anne Calton - Laura Chao - Marie Coveney - Andrew Clarke - Davina Curoopen

Emer Fallon - Michael Farry - Aideen Foley - Eilis Foran - Peter Gesovic

Sheila Hanrahan - Luisa Igloria - Ruth Johnson - Susan Keith

Brendan Carey Kinane - Maria Lane - Tim Lenton - Tony Luebbermann

Gita Mammen - Alan McMonagle - Erin Murphy - Helena Nolan - Nancy Norton

Paul Ó Colmáin - Karen O'Connor - Anne O'Malley - Pat O'Shea

Patricia Mansfield Phelan - Tim Quinlan -Treekisser Random - Janice Rebibo

Catherine Roantree - Marlin Santoso - Debra Shulkes - Victor Tapner

Billie Travalini - Eithne Walsh - Laura Williamson -Allan Wyer

 

 


 

LONG-LIST - The Fish One-Page Prize 2007

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying authors for the 2007 Fish One-page Prize long-list. Winners will be announced on 1st May 2007.

 

Claire Anderson-Wheeler - Val Bannister - Jackie Blake - Chris Boothby

Michele Boylan - Becky Bradford - Maire Cooney - Kay Cotton - David Cox

Kevin Crespo - Dave Curtain - Mark Dalligan - Liz Davey - Mary Dewhirst

Alan Falkingham - Julie Farnworth - David Frankel - Vicky Grut

Fernanda Habermann - Sheila Hanrahan - Helene Heaney - George Hebden

Julie Henson - Richard Holeton - Clare Hunter - Kellie Jackson

Glenn Erik Johannessen - Vic Joyce - Julie Koh - Maria Lane - Tracy Lee

Wes Lee - Devin Liddell - Annie Lindberg - Amaali Lokuge

Valya Dudycz Lupescu - Virginia Matthews - Maria McAteer

Patricia Middleton - Richard Molloy - Christine O'Neill - Bernadette Owens

Jane Paterson - Gina Perry - John Piggott - Ruby Radburn - Cynthia Reeves

Dan Reilly - Katherine Reynolds - Mark Rickman - Rosemarie Rose

Nollaig Rowan - Marlin Santoso - Wendy Storer - Anne Stubbings

Mark Sutz - Eleanor Taylor - Fiona Thackeray - Eve Thomson - Kate Tough

Yvonne Eve Walus - Sarah Ward - Christie Watson - Alan Wilson

 


 

Winners of the Fish-Knife Award 2006

 

For the first time Fish are announcing JOINT WINNERS of one of our writing awards. The judges were unable to decide between two great stories so the joint winners of the inaugural FISH-KNIFE AWARD are:


EWAN GAULT and ORLAITH O'SULLIVAN

Orlaith O'Sullivan - Gilt

Madeira, Portugal

Sunset from Orlaith's house on MadeiraThis year Orlaith sold up and moved from Devon to Madeira to give herself time and space to write fiction. Before that, she completed a Ph.D. at TCD, lectured in English literature, and curated a private book collection in Michigan. She has worked on Wall Street and for Devon County Council. She is the author of academic articles, and editor of several British Library publications. ´Gilt´will be her first piece of fiction published. She was born in Dublin to Cork parents.

In addition to short stories, she is working on a trilogy of novels and a screenplay. The abundance of local wine is not helping matters.

Ewan Gault - Honeysuckle and Cat's Piss

Tokyo, Japan

Ewan was born in Kuwait in 1981, grew up in lots of different places but mainly Scotland and graduated from Glasgow University`s creative writing masters course with a distinction this summer.  The story, Honeysuckle and Cats Piss is one of the chapters of his recently completed novel The Fine Young Blades, which he is hoping to find a publisher for.  Other chapters have been published as runner up prize in last years Scotsman/Orange short story competition and in an anthology of Scottish writing called Outside of a Dog.

 

The Runners-up are:

Linda Evans - Normal service will be resumed shortly
Buckinghamshire, England

Polly Nelson - Air Cowboys
New Jersey, USA

Martin Bott - Luz
Zurich, Switxerland

 

Marc Phillips* - Caye Caulker Tides
Texas, USA

( *Winner - The Fish Short Story Prize 2005)

 

These stories will be published as part of this year's bumper edition of the Fish Anthology, along with the winners of Short Histories II, and the Historical One-Page Prize.

The Fish-Knife Award prize will be split evenly between Ewan and Orlaith each receiving €800 and 10 copies of the Anthology, together with an engraved Silver Fish Knife each.

The runners-up receive €100 each and will also be published in the Anthology.


 

Winners of the Historical Short Fiction Prize 2006

The overall winner of this year's Historical One-Page Prize is:

Keith Souter with his very-short story "The Villain's Tale"

Keith Souter was born in St Andrews, Scotland and educated at Dundee University. He is a part time general practitioner, newspaper columnist, medical author and novelist (under two pen-names).

He has lived and worked in Wakefield for twenty-seven years, within arrow-shot of Sandal Castle, hence his interest in matters historical.

He is married to Rachel and they have three grown up children and a granddaughter.

 

The Runners-up are:

Jessie J. Ellis - Knoxville 1899
Michigan, USA

Kimball Ann Richards - The Morning We Started To Leave
Vancouver, Canada

Rosemarie Rose - Shapes
Cwmbran, South Wales

 

Zoe Sinclair - That Sweet May Morning
Kent, England

These stories will be published as part of this year's bumper edition of the Fish Anthology, along with the winners of Short Histories II, and the inaugural Fish-Knife Award.

Keith receives the winners prize of €1,000 and 10 copies of the Anthology. The runners-up receive €100 each and will also be published in the Anthology.

 


Winners of Short Histories II

The overall winner of this year's Short Histories II competition is:

Lane Ashfeldt with her story "Dancing on Canvey"

Lane Ashfeldt was born in London to Irish parents, and grew up in Dublin. She has travelled widely and currently lives in Holloway, north London. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies, in the online fiction magazine Pulp Net, and in the Irish literary journal Southword.

Another story, 'Off the Map', came second in The Guardian Sci-Talk prize. Lane is currently completing a first novel towards which she was awarded an Arts Council England grant. Her next project will be a collection of short fiction.

 

The Runners-up are:

Jo Campbell* - A Journey to the Sun
London, England

( *Winner - Short Histories 2005)


Leslie Patterson - The Medical Glance
Colorado, USA

Margaret Mulvihill - A Goose of a Swan
London, England

Carys Davies - Waking the Princess
Lancaster, England

Stuart Tallack - Cerulean
West Sussex, England

 

These stories will be published as part of this year's bumper edition of the Fish Anthology, along with the winners of the Fish One-Page Prize, and the inaugural Fish-Knife Award.

Lane receives the winners prize of €1,500 and automatically goes forward to the final short list for this year's Fish Short Story Prize. The runners-up receive €100 each and will also be published in the Anthology.


SHORT-LIST - The Fish Short Story Prize 2006


Here, in alphabetical order, are the qualifying stories for the 2006 Fish Short Story Prize short-list.
.

- Jacob M. Appel - Invasive Species

- Lane Ashfeldt - Dancing on Canvey ( Winner of the Short Histories Award 2006)

- David Busis - Pink Elephant

- Paul Byall - Rookie of the Year (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Jo Cannon - Insignificant Gestures (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Douglas Danoff - The Trader Thief

- Eleanor Edmond - Messers

- Skye Farrah - Rules for Moving

- Ewan Gault - Honeysuckle and Cat's Piss (Joint Winer of the Fish-Knife Award 2006)

- Vanessie Gebbie - Words from A Glass Bubble (2nd Prize Winner Fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Merryn Glover - Rush of Water (3rd Prize Winner Fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Beatrix Jenness - The Beginning, The End, The Beginning

- Malcolm Johnson - Eel Stew

- Elaine Lambert - The Prince of Lisnamore

- Brendan Landers - The Scholarship Class

- Miranda Lewis - Joze's Book

- Lily Mabura - Man in Ultramarine Pajamas (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Natalie McNabb - Afters

- Kathleen Murray - A Paper Heart is Beating, A Paper Boat Sets Sail
( Winner Fish Short Story Prize 2006 )

- Paul Newman - The Bee Cathcher's Mother

- Orlaith O'Sullivan - Gilt (Joint Winer of the Fish-Knife Award 2006)

- Wayne Price - Everywhere Was Water Once (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Robyn Rose - Mauritius Tangerine and Onion

- Nollaig Rowan - Absence

- Janey Runci - The Caravan (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- T. Stores - Fisher

- Stuart Tallack - The Nucker Hole (Runner-up fish Short Story Prize 2006)

- Eleanor Thom - Italian Verbs

 

 

LONG-LIST - The Fish Short Story Prize 2006

Here, in approximate alphabetical order, are the qualifying authors for the 2006 Fish Short Story Prize long list. (Authors whose name appears twice have two entries on the long-list.)
Winners will be announced on 17th March 2007.

Susan Allen - Jacob M. Appel - Catherine Avery - Barry Baldwin

Malcolm Bish - Gabriela Blandy - David Busis - Paul Byall - Jo Cannon

Jo Cannon - Justin Carroll - Leslie Carter - R.N.Homer Christensen

Joan Christie - Finn Clarke - Terence Clarke - Gordon Collins

Adam Connors - Rosemary Conry - Sandy Critchley - Judy Crozier

Douglas Danoff - Carys Davies - Rianna Dear - Julie De Fina

Christine Donovan - Michael Dugdale - Eleanor Edmond - Grace Edusei

Owen Egerton - James Ellis - Rob Ewing - Rob Ewing - Skye Farrah

Michael J. Farrell - Ray Flanagan - Dave Freda - Merryn Glover

Sara Goff - Owen Goodwyne - C.O. Gorman - Liz Granirer

Pippa Griffin - Jonathan Haylett - Tania Hershman - Phil Jell

Beatrix Jenness - Malcolm Johnson - Maria Kaplun - Mikki Katz

Susi Klare -Elaine Lambert - Brendan Landers - Susan Lanigan

Julia LaSalle - Wes Lee - M. A. Leighton - Miranda Lewis

Lily Mabura -Billy Maddox -Pat Maher - Robin Marsden

Fred McGavran -Toby McGrath -Natalie McNabb

Rosalind Minett - Lucy Moore - Carole Morin -Brian Mullally

Christine Murphy - Kathleen Murray - Polly Nelson - Paul Newman

Anthony O'Keefe - Heather Peace - Elizabeth Pienaar - Joanna Piucci

S.C. Pribil - Wayne Price - Gaby Pritchard - Benedict Quinn

P.M. Rae - Jean Rafferty - LeAnne Ray - Jeffrey Roesgen

Robyn Rose - Leone Ross - Nollaig Rowan - Janey Runci

Ahmad Saidullah - Laura Santina - Mark Scott - Myra Sherman

Bridget Shirley - Jill Siddall - Daniel Smith - Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn

James Stark - Connla Stokes - T.Stores - Stuart Tallack

Travis Taylor - Chris Teear - Eleanor Thom - Polly Tuckett

Christopher Watson - Jane Watson - Sarah Weir - Erin Wilcox

Tobias Williams - Lyn Willmott -Pia Wilson -Yiqing Zhao

 


"Fish Publishing - what can I say? You are legend. Just keep doing what your doing.  You are a model of success for publishing and literary festivals.  I certainly wish you increasing fame and am singing your praises over here. Winning the Fish Prize is a validation. I'm one of those writers who is often wracked with self-doubt and definitely need a nod from people whose opinions I respect. The Fish Prize is a big YES stamp. Yes, Katie, keep writing, you can do it.  I'm off to start my next story.  It has a dog in it and that's all I'm telling you." 

- Katie Henderson, from Auckland, NZ, winner of the 2005 Fish Short Story Prize

 

Alumni Page

We have an Alumni page here on the website. We would like to hear from all the past Fish winners and finalists about what they're up to now. Email us with an update. Visit the Alumni page to see what other winners have been up to.

 


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Short Stories to read online

Read online some of the winning entries from previous Fish Anthologies. These are examples of the calibre that win the Fish Short Story Prize. Short Stories to read online

Writing Short Stories

Our new Writing feature provides some suggestions on the art of story writing. The page is designed to provide writers with on-going, constructive information about how other authors achieved success with writing short fiction. For more information visit our Writing Short Stories page.

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You can buy Fish Publishing's Anthologies of short stories on-line in our online book shop – The Fish Shop.

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Our Fish-On-Line online entry system provides a convenient way to enter our contests on the web. Register as an online Fish author and you can enter current and forthcoming Writing Contests. Writers may also enter any of our competitions by post. See our Writing Contests page for full details

Writing Contests - Assistance

Fish Publishing offers an Editorial Consultancy and Critique Service. designed to provide writers thinking of entering writing competitions with constructive feedback on their work, whether it is a complete novel or just the beginnings. The Service is available to writers prior to entering the Fish writing competitions.