Paul Vlitos

Born in Oxford in 1979, Paul Vlitos studied English Literature at the University of Bristol before undertaking graduate study at University College London and the University of Cambridge. He has taught English Literature at a variety of institutions, including Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, where he lived for three years. He is currently a lecturer in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. Paul is the author of two published novels – WELCOME TO THE WORKING WEEK (2007) and EVERY DAY IS LIKE SUNDAY (2008). The Daily Telegraph has described him as 'a witty writer' whose work is 'curiously gripping', while the New Statesman complimented his 'easy comic touch'. His Kindle Singles THE UNRAVELLING (2014) and MISTER NOONE (2015) are also available now. He is married and lives in London. You can follow him on Twitter @PaulVlitos.

Rowena Warwick

'I have always written but have spent so much time busy with family and career that it is only in the past few years that I have been able to take it as seriously as I have always wanted to. I have a diploma in creative writing with distinction from Oxford University. My interests lie in poetry and long fiction. My poetry has appeared online and in print magazines and has done well in competitions. This is the first fiction prize I have entered and I am surprised and delighted to have my novel placed, hopefully this will be a stepping stone to an agent or publisher. I am currently embroiled in writing a second (and a third) novel.'

Jon R. Flieger

Jon R. Flieger is from Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His work has appeared in numerous Canadian and American journals and anthologies, but The Yeovil Literary Prize contest is his first attempt at being some kind of a writer guy on this side of the Atlantic. He was the winner of The Capilano Review’s 2013 Narative Contest, the 2011 Norma Epstein Canadian national award for fiction, an Orison Award, and has been a finalist for the Howard O’ Hagan and Hudson prizes for fiction. He holds degrees from Windsor and Calgary and is currently attending Oxford. He is afraid of bees

Chip Tolson

'There are as many approaches to writing fiction as there are writers, and it can be a mystery, sometimes even to the writer as much as to the readers, as to where a story originated. But not in every case; the seed for my story, ‘Henry’s Hen Night’, had been in my mind for years since I saw one of a group of girls on a night-out trip over and grab hold of a passer-by to avoid falling to the pavement.

When a story comes together well from a first idea to provide a satisfying whole, the writer is pleased. Then if others read the story and enjoy it, that is a true reward. For it to be acknowledged in a competition as a prize winning short story, in particular in the context of the Yeovil Literary Prize where stories are drawn from a wide and international entry, it is a major boost to the writer.

With this encouragement I am working on publishing a collection of some twenty of my short stories in the next few months. More information at www.chiptolson.com

Behind the scenes a lot of people work long hours processing many entries into competitions – and the Yeovil Prize in particular. Those of us who enter are most grateful for their work.'

Gerald Knight

'Married, with one daughter, I am a retired aerospace engineer who has been writing short stories for over forty years. My particular interests are science fiction and tales with a twist. I have also written radio drama for the BBC and have some success with poetry and the occasional article. I am currently the chairman of the Warwickshire Writers’ Workshop which has been established for over thirty years. Interests include astronomy and watching my daughter flying large radio controlled model aircraft.'

Simon Van der Velde

'I began writing as a student in the 1980’s, but was persuaded that becoming a lawyer was the more sensible option. That might have been good advice. The truth is, my stuff wasn’t great. There were feelings I wanted to convey, injustices that disturbed or upset me, but I had no idea how to get them onto the page. I worked hard for a long time, without reward or encouragement, other than from my long-suffering wife. (May the gods bless her.)

I am delighted to say that the last three years have been different.

In 2012 my novel, The Benjamin Exhibition was short-listed for the Harry Bowling Prize. That was my first inkling that anybody, with a different surname to mine, was interested in what was going on between me and my pen. I’ve since won the Wasafiri International Prize for my short story, The Bearer, been short-listed for the Luke Bitmead Award and the Room to Write Awards, won second Prize in The Homestart – Bridgewater short story competition, third prize in the National Association of Writer’s Groups Competition, and been short-listed in various other national and international competitions, and I’ll tell you what, it’s been great.

Hemingway said we should be happy to write without reward, (something like that), and maybe we should. But the truth is that writers are human, and most of us are sensitive, which is kind of the point. The old man was right about one thing though, you’ve got to bleed for your craft. It’s hard. It’s lonely, and it’s confusing. There isn’t the immediate feedback you get from acting or singing. Sometimes I have no idea. Is this really working, or am I just talking to myself?

That’s why every scrap of recognition is valuable, more so when it comes from such a prestigious international competition as the Yeovil Literary Prize. Thank you, to the Yeovil team for reassuring me that the passion I put into my work is being conveyed, hot and whole, through the page and into the reader’s mind.

And so back to work.

My latest novel, Coira’s Wall is a love story set in 122 A.D. against the backdrop of the building of Hadrian’s Wall, (which runs pretty much past both my house and Coira’s).

We all know about the Romans, those early exponents of genocide who’s greatest ‘inventions’ were stolen from the cultures they destroyed. But what about those cultures? What was it like to find yourself on the front line? One moment you are peacefully crafting jewellery, inking tattoos, and sacrificing your children to the gods, then you look up to find the legions bearing down on you. Professional soldiers. Every man with a gladius and pilum. Second Century shock and awe.

To be fair, the Roman’s were not unsophisticated. They offered the carrot as well as the stick. Play the game and you may reap all the rewards of international trade. If not you, then your children might become citizens, people of wealth and power, able to plunder your neighbours in their turn. So why fight the inevitable, when you can live the Roman dream?

Perhaps, because they want to build a bloody great wall through your village?

I’m through the worst, closing in on that monumental phrase, ‘the end’, of the first draft, at least. Of course, when the editing is done I have to steel myself for the next step. Submission to agents.

Maybe I’m not through the worst at all.

Who will save me from this terrible industry?'

www.SimonVanderVelde.com

Stephanie Conn

Stephanie Conn was born in Co. Down in Northern Ireland in 1976. She now lives in County Antrim with her husband and two daughters. She worked as a primary school teacher and developed and taught the literacy programme Passport to Poetry, until ill health forced her to leave the profession. Her poetry has been widely published. She is a graduate of the MA programme at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University, Belfast. Stephanie is a recipient of an N.I. Arts Council Career Enhancement Award and recently won the inaugural Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing. Her first poetry collection is due to be published by Doire Press later this year.

Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall has been writing poetry for more than four decades. From the mid-nineteen-eighties his work has appeared in small magazines. As well as a fourth place in the Arvon poetry competition, he has won the Frogmore competition on one occasion and on another gained second place. He has also come third in the Ledbury poetry competition. Having left the teaching profession, he is enjoying semi-retirement. In the last two years he has attended workshops and classes run by the Faber Academy and the Poetry School in London.

J.S.Watts

J.S.Watts is a British writer. A Londoner by birth, she now lives and writes in Cambridgeshire. Her poetry, short stories and book reviews appear in a wide variety of publications in Britain, Canada, Australia and the States including Acumen, Envoi, Mslexia and Orbis and have been broadcast on BBC and Independent Radio. J.S. has been Poetry Reviews Editor for Open Wide Magazine and Poetry Editor for Ethereal Tales. Her debut poetry collection, Cats and Other Myths, is published by Lapwing Publications, as is a subsequent multi-award nominated poetry pamphlet, Songs of Steelyard Sue. Her novels, A Darker Moon - a work of literary fiction and dark psychological fantasy and Witchlight - a paranormal tale with a hint of romance, are published by Vagabondage press. For further details see her website: www.jswatts.co.uk

Our FIRST prize went to Ken Pickard for his fantastically humorous and detailed A Brief History in Rhyme.

This would never have fitted any normal category so what a delight to be able to highlight this amazing piece of readable yet learned writing.

Wow!

Ken Pickard

Ken Pickard was born in Liverpool in 1956 and played out his childhood in and around Merseyside.

Most of his days are now spent in East Sussex working as a village handyman with his evenings, holidays and weekends affording him the time to write songs and poetry.

Inspired by the conflicting views of Paul Dirac and Richard Feynman regarding the art of poetry, he likes to read difficult and dry books on science and philosophy to see where they might rhyme. His motto is 'be positive' which coincidentally is also his blood type.

Ken lives in Ringmer with his wife Sarah and his sons, Harvey and Lewis.

www.kenpickard.co.uk

Nest Thomas

'As a Welsh woman, I was brought up in an atmosphere of poetry and literature at home. This was reinforced annually by attending every August the National Eisteddfod, a feast of the Arts with literature, music, drama alongside the visual arts all available in a remarkable event. I’ve only missed a couple in my whole life! After retirement and the kids away, I’ve belonged to book group, choirs (always) and then the Poetry Group which meets in Northfield Library (please keep our libraries open). This is a wonderful group and we share our efforts in a supportive environment. Somehow I saw the Yeovil competition and sent off my poem. It is based on the Times Atlas which I find most interesting despite its unwieldy size. Having travelled quite a lot, maps hold a special interest, though I despair of the activities of our species.

I still can’t believe that my effort has won second prize – Thank you Yeovil.'

Mike Sylvester

'My writing has developed from an interest in the theatre and a desire to write stage plays.

I came across flash fiction by accident. It is the challenge of the shorter forms of writing in creating imagery and story in few words which I found intriguing. I find it also acts as a refreshing break from writing a long stage play. A story can be sparked by a picture, an observation while out and about, a conversation or a newspaper headline. Writing in a different form can prove inspirational and is also fun to try.

It is a wonderful feeling having a piece of work recognised and a big thank you to everyone involved in organising the Yeovil Literary Prize.'

We received a colourful card wishing the YCAA congratulations on our competition; it had pictures of Ghana and a poem; there was encouragement, information, and fun.

Well, why not simply ‘butter up’ the judges. We just had to laugh………

So the WOW! prize for creativity and originality goes to Samm Kweku Richardson.

Samm Kweku Richardson

For almost three decades, SAMM KWEKU RICHARDSON has worked in the Ghanaian advertising industry as a copywriter and print production specialist.

Samm’s middle name is KWEKU. The Fante tribe of Ghana, to which he belongs, names its Wednesday-born males “KWEKU” and its Wednesday-born females “EKUA”. That is something else we did not know!

Born in Accra, Ghana, on 12th April, 1961 and married with children, Samm often finds time to write articles for magazines and partake in writing competitions. His hobbies include drawing, gardening, following judo tournaments, playing the piano, cooking, listening to BBC World Service on radio, feeding birds and watching the sea. His way of keeping fit is by practicing yoga every morning and remembering his Creator every minute.