Story Strumpets

An anaesthesiologist, a midwife, a doctor, a partner, a woman who only had one baby —yes, just one— and another one with flytraps for hands. This time we talk about balancing out a circus of characters and trimming a great storyline to make it even greater.
Read more of Ambika's stories at http://ambikathompson.com/

There is only one thing Marlene wants in life, and the opportunity to fulfill her wish and heal her old wounds presents itself while she is on her death bed in the hospital ward. In this episode we talk about wills, testaments, the joys of dark humour and how to enhance Marlene Cassio's ultimate purpose in life...
UPDATE: Daan's story has found a home at The Wild Word Magazine. You can read the final version here: https://thewildword.com/fiction-daan-henselmans/

Alicia has something to say to her brother Jack, but Jack can barely talk through his cloud of misery. In this episode we talk about voice, express our opinions about point of view and discuss the importance of titles... 

The tiger finds himself in a bit of a pickle with the Alligator when he takes a shortcut. Find out what the real deal is between these two, how to enhance the setting they're in and whether their individual voices are enough to carry this relationship through...

Geena’s roommate was called Viviane. Viv-ee-ahn-NUH. When she brings a doll home one day, their relationship takes a whimsical turn. We talk about pacing, structure, tension and how to really bring out the significance of The Doll...

"Beth Hardwick is delighted to announce the launch of her promotion idea for Accel Motors’ latest model..." She is not so delighted to announce all the other underlying issues in her life but will do so in this fabulous story formatted as a press release.

In this episode we talk about heartbreak, romance and how to balance work, love life, and anxiety in a fifteen thousand word format, featuring co-authors of The View Was Exhausting, Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta.

Content Warning for eating disorders and suicide.

Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta are the co-authors of The View Was Exhausting, a modern love story published on July 6th 2021 by Grand Central Publishing and Headline Review. They are married and live in Berlin.

"This one, as they always do, seemed different. Tall, funny, not looking for anything serious, I thought for fifty seven days that I’d met my match.

He ticked my boxes, tasteful city centre apartment, accomplished speaker of three languages, wife in the country (clichéd Georgian Rectory but that was probably more her choice). He enjoyed cooking.

Once I’d tutored him beyond the marital sex that he tried to foist on me, we seemed compatible. For a while. 

Until he fell in love with me."

In this episode, Erin, Sharon, and special guest Ambika Thompson talk about using current events in short stories, when is it too soon, and how to use specific details to make them work.

Ambika Thompson is a writer, musician and parent. She has been published with Electric Literature’s Okey Panky, NPR Berlin, Fanzine, Missing Slate, and was in Crab Fats Magazine‘s “Best of” compilation (2017), as well as other places. She is one half of the cello riot grrrl band Razor Cunts, the fiction & managing editor of the literary journal Leopardskin & Limes, and she holds an MFA in creative writing from Guelph University.

"I know you are in there. I wonder if you can hear my voice or feel my presence, my touch. You might not even look like a human being yet. I once saw pictures in a biology book and I know that a human fetus looks pretty much the same as a piglet for a long time. But those look cute when they come out. Nothing like a baby, with its big head, all blue and squishy, covered in yellowish paste. I have seen it before, a long time ago, and the images have never left me. You will most likely be even more ugly. Being evil leaves its marks..."

In this episode, Erin O'Loughlin, Sharon Mertins and special guest Rebecca Rukeyser talk about dystopias, dark stories, and why we love  grim narratives so much!

REBECCA RUKEYSER is the recipient of a 2018 Grant for Non-German Literature, awarded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. She holds an MFA (Fiction) from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa and Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Düsseldorf. She’s a member of the guest faculty at Bard College Berlin, where she teaches fiction writing. Her stories have appeared in such publications as ZYZZYVA, The Massachusetts Review, and Best American NonRequired Reading. Her debut novel 'The Seaplane on Final Approach' is forthcoming from Granta Books in the UK and Doubleday in the United States.

Cecilia is looking forward to a visit to the abandoned Bingamton Airport with Mark. They haven't kissed yet, but there may be something going on between them. Thing is, Cecilia has no idea what it actually is. Mark's plans may not be quite what she expected...
In this episode we talk about raising tension, and the difference between horror, terror and gore with very special guest, Jane Flett

Jane Flett is a Scottish novelist, poet, and short story author. Her writing has been commissioned for BBC Radio 4, anthologised in the Best British Poetry, and awarded the New Orleans Writing Residency. In 2020, Jane was a recipient of the Arbeitsstipendien für nichtdeutsche Literatur, a €24.000 stipend for the city’s best non-German language writers. She’s also one of the founders of Queer Stories Berlin and one half of the riot-grrrl band Razor Cunts. Her website is: http://janeflett.com/ 

Art Work and Theme song by Judy Moore
Story music is Enigmatic by Bensound.com