Graduate on BBC Short Story Shortlist

Lisa Blower, a Bangor University PhD graduate, and part- time lecturer at the School of English, is one of the five shortlisted authors for the BBC Short Story award 2013

The BBC National Short Story Award celebrates the best of British Short Story Writing and is a prestigious competition, with established writers Lionel Shriver and Sarah Hall among the other four writers on the list.

‘Barmouth’, the short story which recounts annual holidays from Stoke on Trent to Barmouth over four decades- all in 8,000 words, uses the short story as a ‘vehicle’ to describe the journey from childhood to adulthood.

The story was read on Radio Four on 24 September, and can be listened to again here. Lisa Blower was interviewed on Front Row on Radio 4 the preceding evening. This can be heard again here.

The result of the competition will be announced on 8 October. 

Lisa, who studied Creative and Critical writing and who graduated in 2011 is now pursuing a writing career, and has written a novel, now with publishers. She has also won the Guardian newspaper’s Summer Short Story Special competition in 2009, beating nearly 2,000 entries to be selected as the winner by the judges, novelists William Boyd and Julie Myerson.

Zoë Skoulding , Lecturer at the School of English welcomed the news saying:

"I'm delighted to hear about Lisa Blower's success in this award, having known her while she was a PhD student and part-time lecturer in creative writing in the School of English. She is a very witty writer with a fantastic ear for dialogue, and I'm sure she will go on to achieve even greater recognition."

Publication date: 25 September 2013