NEXT EVENT: Desire & Despair for Valentine's, on Tue 11th February
Tuesday 11th February, 6.30 for 7.30pm - DESIRE & DESPAIR
The rollercoaster of love (& lust) takes you from the highest heights to the lowest depths, & there's a million stories along the way ... so in the run-up to Valentine's Day, we're bringing six of the best to the Phoenix basement stage, where they'll be performed by our fantastic actors. Heart's desire or hearts on fire, we'll see you there!
OTHER 2025 THEMES
Fire up the laptop, crack out the notebook, scroll through your 3am story ideas & get submitting, because ALL our 2025 themes are open RIGHT NOW! Check them out below:
APRIL - RISK & REWARD
In the 250th anniversary year of the American Revolution, send us tales of daring & derring-do, adventure & peril, treasure & triumph, games & gambles - whether personal or public. As ever, we're looking for unpublished short fiction of 800-2000 words, & will consider flash fiction, short stories & even novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). Please see full guidelines here, then send to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Sunday 2nd March
JUNE - DOWN & OUT
Fallen from grace, or falling on your face, out for the count or out-out on the town, down in the dumps or deep below the earth, on the road with no fixed abode ... show us what you can do with this theme! As ever, we're looking for unpublished short fiction of 800-2000 words, & will consider flash fiction, short stories & even novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). Please see full guidelines here, then send to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Sunday 4th May
AUGUST - WOMEN & GIRLS: Austen Anniversary Edition!
2025 is Jane Austen's 250th birthday, & our 9th annual festival of female-led & female authored fiction is here to celebrate it! Send us your fiction inspired by any of Austen's titles, characters, settings or novels, or even by her own life & world. As ever, we're looking for unpublished short fiction of 800-2000 words, & will consider flash fiction, short stories & even novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). Please see full guidelines here, then send to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Sunday 6th July
OCTOBER - HAUNTED & HUNTED
Spooky season is here, so it's time for tales of ghosts, hunters & ghost-hunters, stalkers & predators, sinister treasure-hunts & haunted houses - take the theme & RUN with it! As ever, we're looking for unpublished short fiction of 800-2000 words, & will consider flash fiction, short stories & even novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). Please see full guidelines here, then send to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Sunday 7th September
DECEMBER - BLESSED & CURSED
Seasonal blessings or Christmas curses (or both!) - take your pick & submit your story to our festive winter special. As ever, we're looking for unpublished short fiction of 800-2000 words, & will consider flash fiction, short stories & even novel extracts (so long as they can stand alone). Please see full guidelines here, then send to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Sunday 2nd November