Sara Hills
@sarahillswrites.bsky.social
THE EVOLUTION OF BIRDS (Ad Hoc Fiction, 2021) Best Small Fictions | Wigleaf Top 50 SmokeLong Mikey, Bath Flash Fiction Award, QuietManDave CNF 2027 NFFD anthology editor sarahillswrites.com 🌵US/UK #FlashFiction
"He regretted how, as she lay on her back on the scaffolding, Heaven saw petticoats and pantaloons he did not." Yes!! So much love for this saucy take on a historical tale. The 'ever less reverend', the apple, the longing—it's perfection @kawalker.bsky.social. 🎉😍 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · yesterdayShortlisted in the Joy Prize, "Behold the Adam and Eve of Huntingfield" by @kawalker.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"tendrils wrapping around you like you wanted to wrap around him except he’s in the ground and you’re not" Such palpable grief in this one. I love how nature becomes the surreal embodiment, the comfort. ❤️🎉 @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 10h agoShortlisted in the Firefly Prize, "the day after you bury him in the garden" by @wordsfromemorra.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"Stoic, always stoic—as if the tumor isn’t growing inside her body but sitting politely on the table beside her." Oof! What things we humans carry! The dissociative detachment imparts the perfect touch of lightness in this quietly devastating micro from Rana Bitar in @welkinpress.bsky.social. ❤️🎉
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 2d agoShortlisted in the Body Prize, "Taking It Home" by Rana Bitar: www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"the push, the crush, the rip of fabric, baby’s white stockings, heads, hands, the hit, the silence." Oh, the devastation! The movement and emotion, the destructive power of a single word — what a wallop this piece packs! Phenomenal work from @nomad-sw18.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social ❤️🎉
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 3d agoShortlisted in the History Prize, "The things we did not see on Christmas Eve in Calumet, Michigan, 1913" by @nomad-sw18.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"You remember the oaks. The pines. The spark. The heat. The hunger of a violent wind." The poignancy of this one as parts of the world burn is just... oof. The POV, the ending, the sense of devastation. Such a powerful piece! ❤️🎉 @karenc.bsky.social in @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 4d agoShortlisted in the Earth Prize, "The Boy Wraps His Arms Around You" by @karenc.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"You’re [eleven years old]/[forty-five] when you [move]/[return] to your childhood home." I'm completely fascinated with the structure of this one by @thisisguan.bsky.social, how it allows an instantaneous shift in time and interplays with the title is wonderful. 🎉❤️ @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 5d agoShortlisted in the Firefly Prize, "The Oracle of All Wisdom" by @thisisguan.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"His voice was layered like moist leaves. His theme was fall, you might say." Oof! What a wallop this micro packs! Stunning work from @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social in @matchbooklitmag.bsky.social ⚡
matchbook literary magazine@matchbooklitmag.bsky.social · last wk.new story day!! “C’est Une Pipe” by @patriciaqbidar.bsky.social is out now on mb! have a read: www.matchbooklitmag.com/mb/bidar/ces...
"They moved like the lanterns of the last miners, a caravan descending into the dark." Too many gorgeous lines to quote in this wonder from Vaishnavi Pusapati — the poetic language, the themes of reclamation and rebirth, a veritable feast for the senses! 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · last wk.Shortlisted in the Earth Prize, "The Night of the Fireflies" by Vaishnavi Pusapati: www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"...like all creatures of brevity, racing to be The First." Absolutely brilliant micro from @jmgatford.bsky.social. I love the enormity of it, the unexpected pov, the layers of subtext. Wow! 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · last wk.Shortlisted in the History Prize, "First Photograph of the Moon — John William Draper, 1840" by @jmgatford.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
"To entice a fairy, you’ll also need a toddler, the kind with dimpled elbows and hair that curls at the edges on a damp day." The delight shines through this lovely one from @cake-girl.bsky.social. I love how it manages to unearth memories from when my kids were small. 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · last wk.Shortlisted in the Joy Prize, "Detailed instructions on how to attract a fairy visitor to your home" by @cake-girl.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Love this gorgeous and poignant micro from @writesofkathryn.bsky.social, how it captures the changing body of both place and man. The colors, echoes and depth of this one -- really beautifully crafted! 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · last wk.Shortlisted in the Body Prize, "Sundowning" by @writesofkathryn.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Really loved this @mattkendrick.bsky.social workshop when I took it back in 2022. Highly recommend!! ❤️
Matt Kendrick@mattkendrick.bsky.social · 2w agoI'm running GLORIOUS WORDS for possibly the last time EVER between the 3rd and 16th August. There are currently just THREE spots left so you might have to get your skates on for that: www.mattkendrick.co.uk/wbtl-gloriou...
"Listening to the sea’s roar, trying to think of England." Love in this one from @alisonwassell.bsky.social. It perfectly captures that sense of time, the educational gap for women of a certain generation, the settling. Really well done. 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 2w agoShortlisted in the History Prize, "Having Received His Call-Up Papers, Arthur Jenkins Invites You To The Cinema" by @alisonwassell.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Oof, this one slays me! What a stunner from @sfreligh.bsky.social. The tone, the gorgeous imagery, the apocalyptic climate change/political fall-out feels. The remembrance yellow and that hopeful title underpinning it all.😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 2w agoShortlisted in the Firefly Prize, "After the End Was the Beginning" by @sfreligh.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Ahh, love the dizzying humor in this one from @sagreene1.bsky.social, starting with that knock out title. I referenced this title in a workshop I gave last weekend. So great to discover who the author is! 😍🎉 @welkinpress.bsky.social
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 2w agoShortlisted in the Joy Prize, "Whenever My Husband Reaches a Sexual Climax, he Shouts ‘Annabel!’" by @sagreene1.bsky.social www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-stori...
Absolutely beyond thrilled to see my entry is still hanging on. Thanks to @mattkendrick.bsky.social & all the judges; must have been impossible to choose. Congrats and good luck to everyone still hanging in there w/me—I can't wait to read your stories. And the LL ones too—send them back out!!! 😍😍😍
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 2w agoAnnouncing the brilliant shortlists for this year's Welkin Genre Prize. Congratulations to the writers of these wonderful pieces. If you're on the list, please feel free to celebrate wildly, but don't say which title is yours as judging is still ongoing: www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-press...
Getting ready for the flash fiction festival! My own books & NFFD’s. Many NFFD books are available for £5 & if you buy three (excluding this year’s), you get one free. I also have offers on my 5 NIFs 😊
Very affirming to see one of my stories here; I very nearly didn't send it in, so quite pleased with this result even if it makes it no further. Thank you @mattkendrick.bsky.social for your tireless reading & winnowing. 🙏❤️ And best of luck to everyone on these lists. Such 🔥 titles as well! 😍
The Welkin Press@welkinpress.bsky.social · 4w agoDRUM ROLL!!!! Announcing the longlists for the Welkin Genre Prize 2026. Congratulations to the writers of these 50 wonderful pieces. Please feel free to celebrate wildly but don't reveal which piece is yours as judging is still ongoing! www.mattkendrick.co.uk/welkin-press...
For anyone still on the fence or needing a deadline to make a decision (hello, I see you 😘), we have a few full-weekend and single-day places left. Bookings close end of day Friday 10th July. The weather looks great for camping if you want to bring a tent or caravan. @flashficfestuk.bsky.social ❤️🌞
@flashficfestuk.bsky.social · last mo.Weather forecast for the festival 17 -19 July in Bristol We really don’t mind occasional drizzle and not too hot!
So, a new chapter begins @natflashfictionday.bsky.social!! ⚡❤️Thanks & best wishes to the amazing outgoing editor @karjon.bsky.social for everything. And thanks to NFFD co-directors @scooterwriter.bsky.social & @lunchontuesday.bsky.social for having me. To be entrusted w/this is such an honor. 🙏❤️
National Flash Fiction Day@natflashfictionday.bsky.social · 4w agoWe are thrilled to announce that our new Anthology Editor is Sara Hills @sarahillswrites.bsky.social — you can read more about Sara & read our thanks to our outgoing editor @karjon.bsky.social here: www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/index.php/ne...
Congratulations to all the writers and journals represented here, both the top 50 and the longlist. Such a fantastic variety of stunning work! 🎉🎉🎉
Sudha Balagopal@sudhab.bsky.social · last mo.Clang the bells! The @wigleaf.bsky.social Long List and Top 50 list is up www.wigleaf.com.🎈 Special thanks to Guest Selecting Editor, @andrewporter01.bsky.social. Gratitude also to our team who spent countless hours reading. And big 🙏 to Scott Garson without whom this list wouldn't exist! 🌷🌷
Aww, this is such lovely news!! All the thanks to judge @ajwoodhouse.bsky.social for commending my story. Huge congrats to the winners (for their fabulous flashes—wow!), & congratulations to everyone on the SL & LL; I'm so proud to be in the next anthology with you. 🎉❤️ @bathflashaward.bsky.social
bathflashaward.bsky.social@bathflashaward.bsky.social · last mo.Congratulations Sara Hills Highly Commended In our 33rd Award www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2026/06/high...
Just now catching up with all the beauties that didn't come in on my reading shifts. Congrats to everyone who paddled along in 2026. 🎉🎉🎉 — Reading for FlashFlood the past 6 years has been an honor & I will miss it. Do read for a journal if you can; it grows your craft & keeps the community afloat.❤️🙏
National Flash Fiction Day@natflashfictionday.bsky.social · 2mo agoFlashFlood: 2026 FlashFlood: The Complete List #nffd2026
Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy! The anthology is only £2.99 on kindle. Every penny allows us to carry on doing what we are doing. All NFFD folk work for free.
National Flash Fiction Day@natflashfictionday.bsky.social · 2mo agoIf you have enjoyed NFFD please consider buying our anthology ‘Mudlarking’ to support us. Full of fab stories on the theme of BRIDGES & micros by our micro comp winners it is available as a paperback or thrifty e book! www.nationalflashfictionday.co.uk/index.php/bo...
I honestly don't know what to say. I've written so little this year and didn't for one second imagine my story might move on to the SL. I'm in a state of thrilled disbelief, so now I'm going to go hide under my desk. 😂 Very excited to be in the anthology, and with so many writers I deeply admire. 🙏❤️
bathflashaward.bsky.social@bathflashaward.bsky.social · last mo.Many Congratulations to the twenty writers on our 33rd Award shortlist selected by our judge @ajwoodhouse.bsky.social Results out by end of the month https:// www.bathflashfictionaward.com/2026/06/short-list-bffa-june-2026-award/
Thank you to the @natflashficdaynz.bsky.social team and judges @taniahershman.bsky.social & Tim Saunders for giving my micro a place on the short list 🙏
National Flash Fiction Day New Zealand@natflashficdaynz.bsky.social · 2mo ago
It's always worth trying a contest you love, and I'm super thrilled to see one of my entries made it onto the long list @bathflashaward.bsky.social. Sending hugs to those whose stories didn't make it this time, and congrats & good luck to those who did. 🎉🤞❤️
bathflashaward.bsky.social@bathflashaward.bsky.social · 2mo agoCongratulations to the 50 longlisted authors from our June round. Now with judge @ajwoodhouse.bsky.social Final results end of June. Best wishes to all.
What an encouraging response we've had—the biggest ever! 🙏❤️ Although we are a small but mighty team, it's going to take a few more days to respond to all the submissions. And thanks to our newest editor @alimcg.bsky.social for jumping into the fray w/us this year. ❤️ @natflashfictionday.bsky.social
National Flash Fiction Day@natflashfictionday.bsky.social · 2mo agoMany thanks to our Write-in editors for all their hard work: @lunchontuesday.bsky.social @coffeeandpaneer.bsky.social @sarahillswrites.bsky.social @judiwalsh.bsky.social — you can see the prompts & sub here: thewrite-in.blogspot.com?m=1
Happy National Flash Fiction Day! Thanks to eds @karjon.bsky.social and @sharontelfer.bsky.social for including my story in this year's @natflashfictionday.bsky.social anthology. Such an honor to share space with these stunning stories. Plus gorgeous cover art by @joannacampbell.bsky.social. 🙏❤️
Happy Publication Day @scooterwriter.bsky.social. You've done it again. 'Bereft of Reason' is such a page-turner. 🎉🎉🎉
Diane Simmons@scooterwriter.bsky.social · 2mo agoMy flash fiction novella ‘Bereft of Reason’ is published today by V. Press. Set in the 1890s, it is inspired by a shocking crime that happened in my family’s history.Many thanks to V. Press & also to Michael Loveday & Alison Woodhouse for the fab quotes.Signed copies are available from my website.
