2022 Writing Achievements:
Upcoming publications: Martha Turns the Tide, winner, Wild Words Winter Solstice Competition 2021, and Evie Girl in Flashback Fiction.
The Bicycle Orchestra (Jun 30th 2019) retweeted by Fictive Dream on June 3rd, 2022, World Bicycle Day:
Granny Holds Me to Account placed second in the Brilliant Flash Fiction Writing Contest June 2022.
The Devil’s in the Detail, Issue 2, 23rd May 2022, The Woolf
Ask Google in Pigeon Review, May 15th, 2022.
Facing the Line of Dance (p20) Issue 10 of Loud Coffee Press, April 2022.
Stealth Gardening for 101 Words, 18th March 2022
I Remember micro piece for Paragraph Planet, 14th March 2022
Mary Johnson of Wivenhoe Revisiting the Essex Witch Trials with Snapping the Stiletto, March 2022
My Mother Helen Revisiting the Essex Witch Trials with Snapping the Stiletto, March 2022
Line in the Sand flash fiction with Ellipsis Zine, March 2022
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife shortlisted in the Retreat West 2021 Short Story Prize (“vivid world-building and a killer last line” – judge, Kirsty Logan) and due for publication in the anthology later this year. February 2022.
Simon and Brigitta, The Writers Company blog, January 2022 (first published in Meniscus, 2018).
The Society of Fly Fishing for Females, shortlisted, Cranked Anvil Flash Competition, January 2022.
2021 Writing Achievements
In The Driving Seat, Flash Frontier, December 2021
Call and Response, runner up in Essex Book Festival Storyhunters Flash Fiction Competition, November 2021
Helen’s in Cloud Cuckoo Land – book review blogpost for the Writers Company on Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land, November 2021
A Spirited Tale with Glittery Literary October 2021
Speed Writing blog post for Wivenhoe Writers, October 2021
On Reflection selected for Colchester WriteNight Short Prose Collection, ed Sue Dawes and Emma Kittle-Pey, and published by Patrician Press, October 2021.
Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden writing and recording for Diary of the Pandemic Year, Snapping the Stiletto, British Science Festival, September 2021.
How to Make a Film: an idiot’s guide in Wivenhoe News, Autumn 2021.
In Praise of Herbert published in Branching Out, International Tales of Brilliant Flash Fiction, July 2021.
NOMINATED for a 2021 PUSHCART PRIZE (best of the small presses), October 2021, by Brilliant Flash Fiction.
Against the Grain, republished in Ekphrastic Review ‘Throwback Thursday‘, July 2021
The Other Side of Me published in Janus Literary Magazine, Issue 1 Vol 4, June 2021
Un, Deux, Trois published in Janus Literary Magazine, Issue 1 Vol 4 , June 2021
Pigeon Post Winner, Wivenhoe News Spring competition, 2021
Listen, final verse of collaborative piece Survival, 100 Words of Solitude, May 2021
Lavender Soap published in Flash Frontier, April 2021
The Siren Song of the Sea longlisted in the Cranked Anvil flash comp, March 2021
Pushing the Boat Out, longlisted in the 2021 Blinkpot Award, and published in the ebook available here, March 2021
The Invisible Woman, article in Wivenhoe News, Spring 2021
Old Bird published by Fifty Word Stories, February 2021
2020 Writing Achievements:
Ebb and Flow published by Spillwords, Dec 25th 2020
Ebb and Flow
Writing online during Covid, blogpost for Wivenhoe Writers, Dec 2020.
Rainey Turns the Tide, longlisted, Strands Flash Fiction Competition, December 2020
Lavender Soap, longlisted, Mslexia Flash Fiction Prize, November 2020
What I Can Do In The Air, finalist, London Independent Story Prize, Sept 2020
Her Mango shortlisted in the Retreat West mango-themed Microfiction competition, July 2020
A Day at the Seaside, Winner, Weekly Fast Fiction, Scottish Book Trust, July 2020:
We peer down at the impenetrable sea.
‘Goodbye John. We miss you. Rest in Peace.’
On the count of three, we drop the urn. It submerges, then slowly resurfaces, bobbing round the end of the pier like a beachball.
‘Always was a contrary old git.’
We watch him drift away.
Rosemary 50-word micro-fiction for Wivenhoe Writers, June 2020
How it Happens and A Well-Designed Kitchen republished in the Potato Soup Journal Vol 1, issue 1, May 2020
Sacrificial Lamb shortlisted Retreat West, Mountain-themed Micro-fiction Competition. (Scroll down to seventh micro on list), April 2020
Sink or Swim published at SpillWords, March 23rd 2020
Cloudburst published at The Wild Word, February 28th 2020
Stretching Time 500-word first prize winning story in Wivenhoe News Spring 2020 edition
Is All Our Company Here? Director’s Notes 3: Moonlight and Madness published in Wivenhoe News, Spring 2020
The Mysteries of Marmalade Making published in Wivenhoe News, Spring 2020
Tending the Light shortlisted light-house themed Micro-fiction in Retreat West competition, February 2020
2019 Achievements:
Against the Grain published in Ekphrastic Review , December 2019
100 Rejections Blogpost for Wivenhoe Writers, December 2019
Is All Our Company Here? Director’s Notes 2 published in Wivenhoe News, Winter 2019.
Spring Wedding nominated for Best Microfiction 2020 by Citron Review December 2019.
Waverley longlisted in the Retreat West water-themed flash competition, Nov 2019.
Flash fiction Almost published in e-book Revisiting the Walls, Oct 2019:
White Wedding selected and reprinted in Citron 10 Tenth Anniversary issue of Citron Review, September 23rd 2019
Is All Our Company Here? Director’s Notes 1: Article on directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare in Wivenhoe News, Autumn 2019 issue.
Magnets published in Stories My Gay Uncle Told Me Truth Serum Press, August 11th 2019
Fully Formed published in Spelk, July 22nd 2019
The Bicycle Orchestra included in monthly Fiction Circular, Logos July 4th 2019 (a weekly series which collects independent fiction from around the web so as to treat their works to a wider audience)
The Bicycle Orchestra published by Fictive Dream, June 30th 2019
Hair Apparent longlisted by Arachne Press, Solstice Shorts, June 2019
Wivenhoe Open Air Shakespeare Company blogpost for Wivenhoe Writers, on my interest in acting and directing, May 2019
I Was Something Then published by Who Writes Short Shorts? May 2019
How it Happens, published by Potato Soup Journal, April 2019
White Wedding, Spring Citron Review, March 2019, beautifully illustrated by Citron Review:
Spring Wedding published in the Spring Citron Review, March 2019, illustrated:
Spring Awakening 500-word story first-prize winner, Spring 2019, Wivenhoe News
Fred’s Party, published in ‘Envy 7 Deadly Sins Volume 6’, Pure Slush, February 2019
The Great Escape longlisted, Retreat West Short Story competition, January 2019
Map Reading published in The Drabble, January 2019
2018 Writing Achievements:
Spiders recommended in the London Independent Story Prize, 4th Quarter, December 2018, author interview here
A Well-Designed Kitchen published by Potato Soup Journal, December 2018
Simon and Brigitta published by Meniscus Magazine, November 2018
The Buzzard performed by Fraser McPhie at Liar’s League Hong Kong, October 2018
Here and There published by The Painted Nails – Candy Jar September 2018
Clippings published in Fish Anthology 2018, Winner Fish Short Fiction Prize 2018
Photo: At Bantry House, Bantry Bay, West Cork Literary Festival, July 2018
Associated articles with Fish Prize:
- blogpost Fishy Business (July 27th) with Wivenhoe Writers (Wivenhoewriters.blogspot.com)
- guest blogpost for The Writer’s Company
- blogpost on winning (March 17th) with Wivenhoe Writers
The Dare‘Fantastic Flashing’ winner, Retreat West, July 2018, and republished online Summer 2019
Reader (flash fiction and short story) for rounds one and two, Brighton Prize, Summer 2018
Garage Flowers published by Who Writes Short Shorts? February 2018
2017 Writing Achievements:
Ebb and Flow shortlisted for Liar’s League London, ‘Sacred and Profane’, December 2017
Mermaid’s Curse long-listed for Arachne Press ‘Solstice Shorts’ Dusk Stories, November 2017
Muddy Hell published in The Bigger Picture: Reflections on the Great War, 2017, SaveAs Writers
2016 Writing Achievements:
A6DNR, winner Short Story Competition, Felixstowe Literary Festival, 2016 (published in Suffolk Magazine)
The Mere-Dragoun published in Creel 2, Wivenbooks, University of Essex: Centre for Creative Writing, 2016
MA in Creative Writing awarded by the University of Essex, July 2016
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- Dramatic Structure (Jonathan Lichtenstein)
- The Wild East (James Canton)
- Retelling the Tale (Marina Warner)
- Writing Radio Drama (Elizabeth Kuti)
- radio drama and evaluation, submitted for dissertation
Rolling Back with the National Coast Path published on the Wild Writers ‘Wildeasters’ blog, September 2016
Walking the Sailor’s Path published on the Wild Writers ‘Wildeasters’ blog, December 2016
2015 Writing Achievements:
The Painted Nails published in Breaking the Surface, shortlisted South Wales Short Story Competition 2015
All Change published in Words Down the Line, Winter edition 2015
2014 Writing Achievements:
A Brief History of Cycling, winner Hysteria Flash Fiction Competition, 2014 (published in Hysteria 3)
Rehearsing King John published in Words Down the Line, Summer 2014
Revolution 50-second play performed at the University of Essex ‘Homecoming’ event, September 2014
At Alresford Creek published in Words Down the Line, Winter 2012
Helen Chambers - Writer 