Songs of Doing Time: Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

Another take on our Time theme for Solstice Shorts Festival, two songs of doing time,

21 years on Dartmoor from Ian Kennedy & Sarah Lloyd. (With partially obscured BSL interpretation, but enough to follow the gist of the song.)

http://youtu.be/apRCSZajhKw

And a rather shorter sentence, of only Ten Long Years for Pepper & Shepherd

http://youtu.be/RG77JwUVkeU

 

Measuring Time Solstice Shorts Festival Video

Video

Jayne Pickering reads her own story, Measuring Time to kick off the festival at sunrise (four minutes past eight) in which Mac lives life on fast-forward

And two songs from Rosemary Lippard that take a look at measuring time with seasons and months of the year. (These link in rather nicely with Summer All Year Long’s Roll Turn Spin)

January Man

http://youtu.be/hkrWeT3rLL8

October Song

http://youtu.be/p34FVVDijk4

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 songs.

Solstice Shorts Musicians Shadrack Tye talk about Songs on Time

I met Tina, Paul, and Sam from Shadrack Tye the other day, to talk about songs and time, in the run up to Solstice Shorts Festival. This is what they had to say…

Witching Hour Approaches

Your final warning, as Hallowe’en settles into full darkness and all the little witches and ghoulies come prancing to your door in  the hope something unsuitable to eat…

YOU HAVE ONLY SIX HOURS LEFT TO SUBMIT YOUR TIME STORY TO SOLSTICE SHORTS FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION.

Ok, you can go and answer the door now.

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Samhain and the dark half of the year

This time of year is not all about ghosts and chocolate you know. (although if you are celebrating Dia de los Muertos, it probably is).

Samhain is the ancient festival that celebrates the end of harvest and the start of winter, a time to look ahead, and plan for the lean times, while appreciating the glory that is summer as it closes. Probably back then they weren’t basking in 20 degrees and sun though.

So if any of that inspires you to write a STORY about TIME you should by now know where to send it! You have until 23:59 tonight.

Robert Shearman talks about short stories, judging and Time

Robert Shearman, one of our judges for Solstice Shorts Festival Short Story Competition talks to Cherry Potts on the phone (not from outer space, despite the dreadful echo at the beginning!) about what he looks for in a short story, the joys of judging and the excitement of the competition theme of Time.

If you are thinking of entering a story, you have only 3 days left, the competition closes at 23:59 on 31st October 2014. Please read the rules carefully, we’ve had to disqualify a few entries for including their name, or being too long or too short!!

Spring Forward, Fall Back*

An hour’s grace, because the clocks just went back.

What will you do with that extra hour? Sleep?! Get on with you, don’t you have a short story on time to write?

One whole extra hour! get the pen and paper out, fire up the laptop, get writing!

* Spring Forward, Fall Back: A useful reminder of which way to turn the clock, even if it does rely on the American term for autumn, Also a rather sweet book by Sheila Otiz Taylor, the author I was talking about when A. misheard and thought I’d said Shelord and her Tailor, giving rise to my first ever short story. Many mishearings later I still find them a useful inspiration for writing.

Solstice Shorts judge Imogen Robertson talks Festivals and Time with Cherry Potts

The third in our short series of interviews with Solstice Shorts Judges. Imogen Robertson talks to Cherry Potts about the concept behind the festival, and the theme of Time in the context of writing for the competition, which closes in 2 weeks! You have until  one minute to midnight (think Cinderella) on 31st October … Hallowe’en.

Anyone for a Cinders /Hallowe’en fusion story?

 

Solstice Shorts Festival is happening!

We’ve got our funding offer from The Arts Council, and we got our crowd funding, and several donations from private individuals, so we are just waiting to hear from our final match-funder.

We are working on the basis that they WILL fund us, or if they don’t, we will find the remaining money somehow, somewhere. So we are gearing up for the whole shebang, starting with the competition to find 12 NEW stories on the theme of time.

So WRITERS: starting tomorrow, Sunday 21st September (autumn equinox – we do love a theme) the competition is open. You can find the guidelines and the link to the submission platform on our Solstice Shorts Page. The competition CLOSES 31st October.

sun half and half

 

A Short Story about Time – nominate your favourite

It’s all about time. That’s what we are going to be celebrating at Solstice Shorts Festival, along with the Short Story, and folk music obviously. But the Theme is TIME, that’s why we are holding it on the shortest day of the year, and on the Greenwich Meridian.

timewords copySo, why don’t you tell us about your favourite short story with Time as its theme, or its key player? Use the comments box, so that your suggestions are visible to everyone, and  In the run up to the festival (funding permitting) we’ll showcase the best and most nominated time stories of all time. Actually we might just do it regardless.

They must be published to be eligible, and ideally easily found on t’internet – If you think it might be out of print, try Project Gutenberg…