Frome’s short story competition is back

FROME’s annual Writers in Residence challenge, organised by Frome Writers’ Collective (FWC), is set to take place in shops and cafés in and around central Frome on Saturday 29th June. 

On the day, the participants will gather at an agreed place in town at 10am, where they will all be given a mystery prompt as the stimulus for a short story (of any length) and allocated a shop or café to write at. Stories are usually (though not always) written on laptops, then collected between 1pm and 1.30pm or sent in by email.

The organisers stay in phone contact and visit writers at intervals to make sure they have everything they need at their venue, including biscuits. 

A participant in last year’s competition, Mary Macarthur, said, “The event is now in its nineteenth year and always lots of fun! Frome is very much a writers’ town and FWC serves the literary community well, providing a range of opportunities and popular events, with Writers in Residence being a key fixture.”

Among the host venues for this year are: Hunting Raven Books, La Strada, Cordero Lounge, Coffee#1, Cheese and Grain, and Frome library, with others to be confirmed.

This year’s winners will be announced at the Frome Festival Readers’ and Writers’ Day at the ECOS Amphitheatre, adjacent to the Merlin Theatre, on Sunday 14th July, where the winner will be presented with the Alan Somerville Memorial Prize and £30. The two runners-up will receive £10 each.

Entry to the competition is free and open to all local people over 18 (first-timers are most welcome) but places are limited, so anyone interested in taking part is asked to email fromewriterscollective@gmail.com for booking and details as soon as possible.