Short Story Bookclub: Let's Talk Stories!

What is it?

Snuggle down on a virtual sofa for a good old chinwag about a story. Perfect for those chilly dark days at the beginning of the year. In each session, we take one short story, read it together. Then we discuss it. Simple!

The stories might be classic or brand new. You do not need to read the story beforehand, but it will be sent to you a couple of days before if you want to access the text before the group starts.

The spring block of Let's Talk Stories sessions will start on 14th January 2025 and then run on 11th February, 11th March and 8th April. The sessions take place online on Wednesday evenings from 7.00pm to 8.30pm.

Tickets for each session cost £5.00, plus the Eventbrite fee. Attendees will be sent the story and the zoom link a few days before the event.

8th April: David Szalay

For our final Let's Talk Stories of the spring block, we'll be reading a David Szalay story. Before he won the Booker, Szalay wrote a series of inter-connected short stories in his bookTurbulance. We’ll read and discuss one of those stories.

About the discussion group

Clare aims to create a warm and friendly space where we can spend some time with stories. This group is particularly helpful for those who are reading as writers.

The dates and writers for other Let's Talk Story Spring 2026 block are:

14th January: Damilare Kuku - book here

A story from Kuku's glorious collection Nearly All The Men In Lagos Are Mad, a runaway bestseller in her native Nigeria.

11th February: Duets with visiting publisher Tom Conaghan - book here

I’m excited for this one! In a first for Let’s Talk Stories, Tom Conaghan from Scratch Books will join us for this session. One of the most innovative publishers of short stories around, Scratch Books are always stimulating and always a treat. Tom publishes the some of the best short story writers out there. In this session we’re going to discuss one of the stories in the Duets collection, where each story is written by two short story writers.

This is a must for short story writers out there! (And for everyone else too…)

11th March: Brenda Romero - book here

Not a short story this time, but a seering piece of creative non-fiction using a compelling and original form. This piece is about sex trafficking: not for the fainthearted.

Who is she??

Clare Reddaway reads and writes short stories. Her stories have been published widely and won a number of national competitions. She has organised live lit events in Bath for many years, such as Story Fridays, Stories at the Farm, Story Walks and Festive Doorstep Stories. Clare runs monthly writing workshops on Zoom. Her novel Dancing In The Shallows was published in 2024 by Fairlight Books, and her short story collection Mouthy was published in 2025 by Axe River Books. Clare runs monthly writing workshops on Zoom.

"It's been great to read, discuss and learn from the short stories Clare selects," said one regular participant recently.