When you live in a rural location, a trip to London is always something of an adventure. We tend to come back saying ‘it’s like another planet.’ And it is, when compared with the far west of Wales.
But interacting with an alien culture is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly when the reason for doing so is a rather special occasion – and last month’s visit to the big city to read at the launch of the Cinnamon Review of Short fiction was certainly one of those.
The event had been organised to allow for introductions, chat and refreshments before the readings, with further socialising afterwards – a great idea, which worked well.
It was a pleasure to meet up with Jan and Adam again, and to meet other Cinnamon writers, who are all so friendly, as well as talented. And all this in the unique setting of the music room in a private house in Great Ormond Street, adding to the sense of occasion.
The readers were Kate Mitchell, Jane McLaughlin, Jez Noond, Sarah Barr, David Mark Williams, Isabelle Llasera and myself, whilst Tamsin Hopkins talked about the writing process.
Once again, the variety of the short story form was apparent – variety in subject matter, theme, style, genre – and indeed, delivery. The audience were responsive and kind, contributing to an enjoyable, entertaining evening, which flew by.
So a big thank you to Tamsin Hopkins for organising, and to Jan and Adam for the work they do at Cinnamon, and to all the other writers, who contributed to making both the launch and the anthology so impressive.
