Arachneversary Solstice Shorts Sixteen Stories about Time

Arachne editor, and Solstice Shorts Festival founder, Cherry Potts, talks about the original idea, the epic first season, and the book, Solstice Shorts:Sixteen Stories About Time. Plus an announcement about the 2020 festival, Tymes Goe By Turnes.

You can buy Sixteen Stories, and other Solstice Shorts anthologies from our Webshop.

For a discount, use the code ARACHNEVERSARY at the checkout.

We also have special bulk buy offers on Solstice Shorts books in the special offers section

free solstice stories

As summer reaches its apogee

and then light once more dwindles

you can get time-themed stories, free

on Amazon, on those kindles.

That’s the limit of my doggerel on the subject.

Sorry, about the awfulness, however it is an excellent offer, made to celebrate the launch of DUSK, the latest Solstice Shorts Festival anthology, Published on 21st June, the summer solstice. We are also celebrating with events tomorrow and thursday.

Free on Kindle Unlimited for the next 5 days, Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about time.

get in there quick, time’s ticking.

 

#Arachne5 Wednesdays will never be the same again

Carrie Cohen reads part of David MathewsWednesday Afternoons from Solstice Shorts, Sixteen Stories about Time at our #Arachne5 fifth anniversary party. She is keen to read the whole thing somewhere, soon.

David

Carrie Cohen

Catch Carrie’s next gig with us.

LGBTHM Richmond Library

We have a great fondness for LGBT history month at Arachne Press, and we are also exceptionally fond of libraries. As a result the combination definitely works!

Our last outing for February was to Richmond lending library, one of the oldest public libraries in London (lovely building, glass roof, unfortunately on the flight path for Heathrow…)

Here are some readings from that evening, mainly from Cherry Potts, but with assistance from Alix Adams on the first one. The sound isn’t wonderful (those planes…) but it’s better than what we managed on the video camera.

In order of appearance:

Arachne’s Daughters from Mosaic of Air (Cherry Potts)

Death & Other Rituals from Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time (Tannith Perry)

A Place of Departures from Stations (Cherry Potts)

The Other Side of Sleep from the anthology of the same name (Kate Foley)

Tasting Flight from Lovers’ Lies (Catherine Sharpe)

 

 

Arachne goes West part 2 – The South: Bath

The second leg of our tour of the west, and we are going to be in Bath on Wednesday 22nd April. 7.30 – 9.00pm at
Oldfield Park Bookshop  43 Moorland Road, Bath, BA2 3PN this time, with Solstice Shorts

FREE

Excellent stories. Nice people. Free wine. Come and be entertained by actors Nick Rawlinson and Abigail Moore reading from SOLSTICE SHORTS: Sixteen Stories about Time, including competition-winning Bath writers, Pippa Gladhill and David Mathews, and Bristol writer Tannith Perry; plus WIlliam Davidson.

PLEASE PHONE Oldfield Park bookshop to let them know you are coming: 01225 427722

REVIEW of Solstice Shorts Anthology

Those nice people over at Sabotage have reviewed Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time

read the review here

They have particularly pleasing things to say about Helen Morris, Robert Shearman, William Davidson, David Mathews, and David Turnbull.

SOLSHORTS HALF SUN TOP

If you enjoy the review and want to try the book for yourself you can buy it direct from our Shop, or if you are in the Bath area, come to our reading at Oldfield Park Bookshop, 43 Moorland Road, Bath, BA2 3PN on 22nd April, at 7.30 where you can listen to stories, buy the book and get it signed by at least three local authors, and have a glass of wine at the same time. more info 01225 427722

 

Solstice Shorts audio file ‘Duration (4)’ by Andrew Gepp read by Tony Bell

Helping an elderly woman with the crossword – Andrew Gepp‘s touching meditation on age and memory, read at Solstice Shorts Festival by Tony Bell who got so into the story the camera couldn’t keep up with him, hence the recording.

We had a lot of stories about old age and memory for the competition, this one stood out.

This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time 

Relationships in story and song Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

Sarah Feathers reads Sarah Evans‘ story, Stone Baby, in which Eleanor looks back on as a choice made years earlier. This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time


Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story.

and three different takes on relationships:

Shadrack Tye The Task

http://youtu.be/A85_I-MfNoE

and The Lovers’ Tale

http://youtu.be/UEEj5GGpQlM

and Pepper & Shepherd with Courage

http://youtu.be/dre81wGcXWE

 

Time travelling ghost story for Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

Imogen Robertson was one of our judges for the Solstice Shorts Short Story Competition. As she mainly writes historical detective novels, when we asked her to contribute a story to the festival (and book)  we were vaguely expecting something historical, but instead we got this brilliantly understated ghost/time-travel story, Grange Lodge.

I have crossed that very road – and shall look extra carefully in future…

This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time.

And to go with, Rosemary Lippard sings the rather creepy Day after Tomorrow, by Tom Waits.

http://youtu.be/_mSw6YKS_j0

Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story and song.

Dizz Tate Time Man and Pepper & Shepherd Build Your Heart Solstice Shorts Video

Video

Dizz Tate reads her story Time Man, at West Greenwich Library, our early morning venue. Time Man was one of the five stories from the Solstice Shorts Festival writing competition that the judges liked best.

This story is one of 16 read at the festival and featured in the book Solstice Shorts: Sixteen Stories about Time.
Our BSL interpreters wish it to be known that this is not what they consider performance standard signing, they needed a chance to rehearse with the performers for that, but you will be able to follow the story.

The magnificent Pepper & Shepherd play Build Your Heart, inspired by crying over a book, the way you do; later in the day, at The Royal Observatory Greenwich.

http://youtu.be/9VEJiZHhF6g