Now sit down, chill out and take your pick from seven of the best bite-sized stories by female authors. Isn't that better already..
I don’t know about you but most days I can be found walking into rooms and pondering ‘what exactly am I doing here?’ I’m not having an existentialist crisis. Not just yet. Just a mild dose of pandemic anxiety. In fact, science boffins say this coronavirus crisis has drastically cut down our attention span. Seems there’s no better time, once I remember where I put my specs, to dive into some beautifully-crafted favourite short reads.
A speed read fits neatly into a lunch break or gives a sense of ‘OMG, I have achieved SOMETHING today’ before passing out on your pillow. So expand your mind with these curated short stories. All selected by fantastically talented writers and this year’s judges of the BBC National Short Story Award 2020and the BBC Young Writers’ Award
Laura’s verdict: ‘This is as deeply revealing and unsettling today as when it was written. At a time when we are confined to small spaces it has a particular resonance. It has never been more relevant to re-examine the emotional torment, psychological coercion and subtle forms of misogyny underpinning so many abusive relationships. Today one deadly pandemic masks another: the ongoing pandemic of domestic abuse that’s become part of our own wallpaper.’
Chosen by Irenosen Okojie, AKO Caine Prize-winning British Nigerian writer
Irenosen says: ‘This is an inventive, elliptical piece – only three pages long. Kincaid charts the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter with eye-watering honesty. The brevity, the brutality, the shrewd use of repetition and the killer last sentence make it a subtly unforgettable piece. Kincaid is one of my writing heroines. I can’t rave enough about her unique voice.’
Picked by Will Hill, a screenwriter, novelist and YA Book Prize 2018 winner
Will’s verdict: ‘This story appears in The Bloody Chamber, one of the best short story collections of all time. Based on Red Riding Hood but far removed from our childhood version. The Company Of Wolves is a dark, blood-red feminist allegory where the wolves are dangerous, uncontrollable and painfully familiar.’
Chosen by Chris Power, Guardian short story columnist
Chris says: ‘One of the great coming-of-age stories. Gallant’s evocative portrait of southern France, a malfunctioning relationship and a young woman entering adulthood.’
Selected by Muhammad Khan, Branford Boase Award-winning YA author
Muhammad’s verdict: ‘This story is a classic. A quick-witted mouse against a host of predators. Then one day he meets the scariest creature of them all. The playful verse is thoroughly entertaining.’
Bridget says: ‘This stunning piece leaves me with a lump in my chest every time. Cleverly describing big concepts such as longing and sadness. It then pivots into a kind of dystopian fairytale. Definitely the greatest living short story writer I can think of.’
Chosen by Lucy Caldwell, twice-BBC NSSA shortlisted and Commonwealth Prize winning author
Lucy’s verdict: ‘Lucia Berlin writes incredibly close to the bone. With a lightness of touch making it all the more devastating.Pure verve, pure style, pure joy. There’s a sense she is freewheeling. It’s an impression that should in no way undermine her stories.On a sentence-by-sentence level, she is peerless.Berlin’s sentences do things I didn’t think possible. They snap, they pivot, they suddenly address the reader directly.’
* The shortlist for the BBC Young Writers’ Award with First Story and Cambridge University will be announced on Sunday 20 September. More information can be found at bbc.co.uk/nssa and bbc.co.uk/ywa
* The BBC National Short Story Award with Cambridge University celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2020. The shortlist will be announced on Friday 11 September
On 25th May, George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by a white police officer, leading to global protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and to remember the many lives tragically lost. On the 23rd August Jacob Blake was shot seven times by police in Wisconsin in front of his children and he remains in hospital in a critical condition. Protests against his shooting have taken over states and sports with the NBA, WNBA and tennis champion Naomi Osaka all protesting and either refusing to play or forfeit the season.
Online, people have been asking how they can champion equality beyond the little black squares of #BlackOutTuesday everyone shared in May, and while there is so much we can do, from educating ourselves to donating to worthy causes, one option is to put our money where our mouths are and support black-owned fashion brands and designers.
New York based Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies, explained back in May on Instagram, that ‘so many of your businesses are built on Black spending power. So many of your stores are set up in Black communities. So many of your sponsored posts are seen on Black feeds. This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space.’
Aurora James is asking that big retailers in the US to pledge 15% of their shelf space to black-owned brands (click to sign the petition to support here), and with 21% of black-owned businesses thinking they won’t survive the economic impact of the ongoing pandemic, there’s never been a better time to show your support.
Inspired by the Black Lives Mattermovement,Black Pound Daywas masterminded by Swiss, former So Solid rapper, to champion Black-owned businesses andsupport the growth of the UK Black economy. The first took place on 27 June and the next is the 5th September.
The initiative aims to make UK shopping habits more inclusive by encouraging everyone to buy products and services from Black-owned businesses to continue the fight against racial inequality.Black-owned businessesare four times less likely to receive bank loans, credit cards and overdrafts. This institutional lack of access to capital means that black businesses are more likely to fail than their white counterparts, but together we can change this.
With that in mind, here are some incredible black-owned fashion brands to shop and support on Black Pound Day and beyond…
This eponymous billion dollar brand was founded by legendary make-up artistPat McGrath.Affectionately referred to as the Mother of Makeup. #PATMcGRATHLABS is renowned for its avant-garde approach to beauty: expectrichly-pigmented eyeshaddow’s, velvety lipsticks and the labels cult favourite foundations.
London-based duo Camille Perry and Holly Wright created their label TOVE to pool their experience in the fashion industry to create timeless clothing that balances modernity and femininity. Expect beautifully draped dresses and structured tops.
Toronto-native and New York City-transplant, Creative Director and Founder Aurora James founded Brother Vellies in 2013 with the objective to keep traditional African design practices, and techniques alive while also creating and sustaining artisanal jobs. Her pieces are vintage-inspired and one-of-a-kind. Our Editor’s love the labels boots, sandals and heels.
Established in 2008 CUSHNIE is a luxury women’s ready-to-wear and bridal brand designed by Carly Cushnie. Founded on the desire to serve the modern woman expect structural silhouettes and carefully considered detailing. Our Editor’s love CUSHNIE’s chic wedding dresses, peplum tops, flared trousers and slinky silk bodysuits.
Founded by fashion editor and stylist Brittany Kozerski Jade Swim is a sustainable swimwear brand our Editor’s are besotted with. The labels minimal aesthetic is so flattering on all figures, expect chic one pieces and contemporary bikini tops and bottoms.
New York-based jewellery brand MATEO was created by self-taught designer Matthew Harris, launched Mateo New York in 2009 with a contemporary jewellery offering. Taking inspiration from the working man’s toolbox starting off as a men’s collection, a women’s line was added in 2014. Expect pearl adorned earrings, diamond adorned rings and earrings.
jakke was founded by East London Designer Nina Hopkins, who designs fun and vintage-inspired faux fur jackets and faux leather goods. Expect playful jackets and accessories.
Lisou is a London-based fashion brand, founded by Tanzania-born Rene MacDonald, specialising in beautiful pieces with a twist. Expect playful jackets, jacquard jumpsuits and silky trousers.
Frustrated by the lack of skin-tone choices to go with her ever-expanding wardrobe, Nubian Skin founder, Ade Hassan, decided it was time for ‘a different kind of nude’. Expect everything from hosiery to strapless bras and lacey lingerie sets.
The new collection drops in September. We are #freefromfur
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