Cree: The Rhys Davies Short Story Anthology
I'm very much behind in writing about the launch of Cree: the Rhys Davies Short Story Anthology 2022, which was a model of how such an event can be organised with real generosity of spirit. A multiplicity of voices were heard with respect and a real sense of sharing appreciation for each other and the form. Much of that was down to Tîm Diwylliant Prifysgol Abertawe, who organised the launch, including the biggest crowd I've ever seen at a launch for a bunch of relatively unknown authors. But the feeling was contagious and led to generous support, sharing and interesting conversation among us authors.
In the wake of the fading nightmare of big market publishing, this felt like healing. I spent three hours in a room full of people who read devotedly and write thoughtfully. I left feeling better about the world in general.
The winning story, 'Cree', is stunningly accomplished and a deserved winner. Had I had the choosing though, I might have gone for the story written by the youngest author on the shortlist. Daniel Strogen's 'Cracked/Duck' is an adventurous and complex treatment of traumatic memory written in beautifully observed dialect voice. I'll be teaching it for a long time. Knowing that it was written by a person so young makes me hopeful.