Flash Fiction Festival

creative writing

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Trinity College, Bristol BS9 1LE, UK

Event details

14 - 16 Jul, 2023
£290-£470

Flash Fiction Festival UK, 14th-16th July, 2023 will be the fifth in-person literary festival entirely dedicated to flash fiction sponsored by Ad Hoc Fiction and Bath Flash Fiction Award and organised by Jude Higgins. We welcome flash fiction enthusiastics, beginner or experienced, to come together to learn more about flashfiction, write new stories, listen to readings, meet old friends, make new ones. It’s a relatively small festival – around 110 flashfiction fans. And is VERY friendly and fun.

Meet walk · listen · create’s writer in residence Cheryl Markosky on Saturday 15 July as she leads a workshop on “Walking A/way” – the theme of our 2023 writing competition, and join in the fun at the Fringe Fete on Friday, organised by El Rhodes, our Shorelines Stories creative writing tutor, with the chance of winning copies of our Walking chapbook anthologies from previous competitions.

What’s On at the Flash Fiction Festival 2023?

Friday Flashy Fringe Fete and Paella!
From midday Friday 14th in the grounds at Trinity College, until 5.00 pm. Fun activities and prizes for the first-of- its-kind flash fiction fete! More details coming soon. Order your Friday chicken or vegan paella here!

Pre festival workshop with Kathy Fish. 

Booking open now.


Those attending the festival or others who can’t come to the whole event can book a pre-festival workshop with Kathy Fish on Friday afternoon, 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm.

Workshop leaders and presenters at the festival

We have eight festival workshops for participants to choose from a selection of twenty-eight inspiring sessions taking place on Saturday and Sunday.

We’ve listed the presenters below and you can read more about them and their workshops and talks on our workshop page. You can also check out when they are  programmed to run the sessions.
From the UK: Susmita Bhattachrya, Stephanie Carty; Judy Darley; Emily Devane; K M Elkes; Carrie Etter, Vanessa Gebbie; Anita Goveas; Tania Hershman;Jude Higgins; Kathy Hoyle; Ingrid Jendrzejewski; Farhana Kahlique;Michael Loveday; Rosaleen Lynch; Karen Jones; Cheryl Markosky; Audrey Niven; El Rhodes; Diane Simmons; Farhana Shaikh; Deborah Tomkins and Alison Woodhouse.
From the USA: John Brantingham; Kathy Fish; Nancy Stohlman; Lew Watts
From Ireland Roberta Beary
From Germany: Christopher Allen
From Cyprus: Nora Nadjarian (tbc)Readings and Book launches

We’ll have mini book launches of Ad Hoc Fiction published books during the weekend, plus several sessions where our international pariticipants will read their flash fictions. Have a look at the programme on the menu for timings of everything taking place.

Bookshop and Bar
The bookshop will be open at several times during the weekend to sell books from Ad Hoc Fiction and other publishers like National Flash Fiction Day,UK, Reflex Press and more. Authors may bring their own books to sell themselves.
Trinity College is running the bar this year and it will open in the afteroons and evenings. We’re lucky to have Helen Rye and Christopher Allen hosting Karaoke entertainment in the bar. There’s also a quiet lounge for music-free chats and plenty of space outside for talking.

Meals and accommodation
You can buy meals in advance as one of our booking options – (a great buffet selection of salads, meat, fish, desserts, cheese, cake, for two lunches on Saturday and Sunday and an evening buffet on Saturday. (Most diets catered for) And you will be able to order a chicken or vegan paella on Friday afternoon, if you want. 

Some camping at Trinity is avaiable and we’ve block booked 30 student rooms in a Bristol University hall of residence a few minutes walk from Trinty. Book a packaage including meals,accommodation as one of our ooptions. Booking open now. Other accommodation options listed on our post.The Pokrass Prize


Our longterm festival curator, Meg Pokrass, can’t come this year but has offered a visual prompt and will judge The Pokrass Prize. A chance for particpants to win £50 and books.Festival Anthology


All participants can submit stories, ideally prompted by festival workshops, to our sixth Flash Fiction Festival Anthology.

Festival Weekend Raffle 

with proceeds going the Fuel Poverty Charity

Cheryl Markosky

Cheryl Markosky

Writer in residence 2022/23

Cheryl Markosky wanted to be a lighthouse keeper, but it was tricky in the Rockies. So, she became a TV producer and journalist. Canadian-born, she now splits her time between England and the Caribbean. Cheryl’s work can be found in EllipsisZine, New Fla...

El Rhodes

El Rhodes

I’m an archaeologist who lives between Cardiff, Wiltshire, and a small hamlet in Hertfordshire. I’m bookish and quiet but tell a good story. My work features in a wide range of anthologies, journals and competitions. In November 2021 my book ‘My Fami...

Near Trinity College, Bristol BS9 1LE, UK

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