Short Story Bookclub - Let's Talk Stories!

What is it?

Pour yourself a glass of wine or a mug of coffee and snuggle down on a virtual sofa for a good old chinwag about a story. Perfect as the nights begin to draw in.

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.

We range across lots of different stories and writers. We've read stories by Shirley Jackson, Jhumpa Lahari, Katherine Mansfield, Miranda July, Angela Carter, Jo Lloyd, Toni Morrison, Doris Lessing, Helen Oyeyemi, Kevin Barry, Hari Kunzru, Ernest Hemingway, Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Chekov, amongst many others. All different, all gripping in their own ways.

The autumn block of Let's Talk Stories sessions will start on 10th September.

Dates and authors below:

10th September 2025

Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The Columbian master of magic realism.

8th October

Clarice Lispector. Considered one of Brazil’s best writers since her debut in 1943, she has recently gained acclaim in the English speaking world through new translations of her work.

5th November

Hassan Blassim. Winner of Independent Foreign Fiction prize 2014, Blassim's collection 'The Iraqi Christ' was chosen as one of the 10 best short story collections of the decade (2010-20)

3rd December

MR James. In the run-up to Christmas we'll have a chiller from this classic writer of British ghost stories.

Tickets for each session cost £6.00, plus the Eventbrite fee. Attendees will be sent the story and the zoom link a few days before the event. The zoom link will also be on the Eventbrite portal.

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.

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 debut novel Dancing In The Shallows was published in 2024 by Fairlight Books.

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