RATTLE TALES
Rattle Tales originated from the MA in Creative Writing at Sussex University. The group meets every month to read pieces we are currently working on and invite discussion. These are lively and insightful events loosened up by fine wine and unusual crisps. It’s a great way to progress with novels, short stories and poetry in the knowledge that we can trust the judgement of our fellow members and that there’s no competitive criticism (well not much anyway!).
As a group we also attend spoken word events in and around Brighton and after one such evening we went all Judy Garland and decided to put on our own show. We wanted to keep to the same format as our writing group; authors read and then the audience asks questions and gives feedback. We thought raisng hands was a bit schoolroom so we provide football rattles for our audience to use when they want to speak and to show their appreciation. In native American tradition the man with the rattle tells the tale.
Our first show was in March 2011 at the wonderfully atmospheric Marlborough Theatre. It was a great success. One audience member said we’d turned literature into a live event.
Rattle Tales is now a quarterly event. It’s fun and noisy with edgy modern stories that promote lively discussion. We are always looking for new authors to perform alongside our current members, so if you are a writer and would like the opportunity to perform and get feedback, please check out the RattleTales website and Facebook pages. And do come along to our events we aim to keep prices low so its an affordable and fun night out.
All Rattle Tales authors can be contacted via the website.
This is the Brighton Argus review for our last show. The next event is at Brighton Fringe on May 16th.
THE BRIGHTON PRIZE
The Brighton Prize is Brighton’s only regular short fiction prize. It came out of our Rattle Tales show and is now international, has a £2,000 prize fund and publishes an annual anthology. We have categories for best short story, flash fiction and a Sussex Writer Award.
We have attracted many successful writers as judges including Peter James, William Shaw, Araminta Hall, Umi Sinha and Bethan Roberts and Myriad Editions MD, Candida Lacey. I have the pleasure of judging the prize every year.
This year our judges our Booker nominee Alison MacLeod and literary agent Sarah Manning.
Please check our website for details.
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