The Long and the Short of It - Thursday 21st June - The Actors’ Church, Covent Garden

Short Story Competition/Writer in Residence Prize £2000

InterAct Reading Service are launching a short story competition to find a writer in residence. InterAct Reading Service is a charity that takes professional actors into hospitals and read short stories and poems to stroke patients. The charity is holding a special event to highlight our work and raise the profile of stroke at the Actors Church (St Pauls Church) Covent Garden, Bedford St, London WC2E 9ED on Thursday 21st June at 7pm. The event represents the official launch day of the competition. The likes of Richard Briers, Max Stafford Clark, David Soul, Tom Hollander, Fiona Dobie, Edward De Souza amongst others will be reading short stories and poems and Michael Simpkins will be compere. If prospective writers can attend the event it will give them a greater insight into both the charity and work we do. For advance bookings please call 0207 471 6789 or email info@interactreading.co.uk

Further details about the competition will be available at the event but the following criteria will be included:

£10 per story entry fee.

Length of each story no longer than 1500 words.

No email submissions please.

Stories must have a setting local to the hospitals we work in, as we’ve found local stories are particularly appreciated by stroke patients. The writer can select any genre they wish, though it should be noted that our Crime genre is in need of material. The charity reads in 14 London hospitals and a hospital in Birmingham, Manchester, Stoke, Brighton and Oldham. The London hospitals are: Barnet, Charing Cross, Chelsea and Westiminster, Clayponds, Finchley Memorial, Kings Hospital (Kings and Maudsley), Mile End, National Hospital Russel Square, Royal Free, St Mary’s, St Thomas’, West Middlesex and Whittington.

Closing date for all entries will be 21st December 2007.

Short listed writers will then be interviewed by a panel early in 2008 and the winner will be announced at the end of February 2008. The winner will be expected to visit our hospitals and ascertain from patients themselves what type of stories they would like.

InterAct will expect 10 short stories to be written during a one year period for the Prize of £2000.

Due to the expected volume of entries, the charity is unable to offer feedback to prospective entrants. Cheques are made payable to INTERACT READING SERVICE. Writers should send their material to:
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INTERACT READING SERVICE
SHORT STORY COMPETITION
4TH FLOOR, CHARLES HOUSE,
375 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET,
LONDON W14 8QH.

Tel 0207 471 6789 Email info@interactreading.co.uk