Short Story Day South

A Celebration of Short Stories

Come and celebrate the Short Story Day South in Cape Town on June 21 with a chain gang challenge.

What is Short Story Day South?

Short Story Day South aims to establish the 21st of June – the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere – on which to celebrate fiction’s succinct form, the short story.

This annual celebration will re-ignite a regional passion for short stories. In so doing it will introduce many new and existing southern African writers to new markets, both locally and globally.

The participation-driven initiative and will culminate in a series of events all over Southern Africa, offering a variety of stories, old and new, to be read, listened to and enjoyed.

It will create a platform for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, teachers, and school children to come together to submit, read, workshop and discuss the short story, especially as it applies to writing in Southern Africa.

Celebrations in Cape Town on Short Story Day

When? At 9am on Tuesday 21 June, 2011, the first of a team of literary legends will sit down in the Book Lounge and start writing. An hour later, the keyboard will be wrested from his/her hands and passed on.

As each segment of the story unravels, it'll be uploaded to the Short Story Day South website.

Readers will be able to watch the story unfold online and, at 4pm, when the last writer adds the final full stop, the polls will open and readers will begin voting for their favourite story.

As part of the event, The Book Lounge in association with Short Story Day South, challenges you to a chain story competition. Read more about this event below.

Origins of this Cape Town event

The concept, celebrating the short story on the shortest day of the year, is borrowed from the pilot project, National Short Story Day , which launched in the UK in October 2010 and concluded on 21 December (their shortest day).

The project grew organically using social networking tools and was a great success. In Cape Town there is a similar event to this being created now.

How it all started here? Rachel Zadok and Isla Haddow-Flood were contacted by one of the coordinators of National Short Story Day in the United Kingdom, Daneet Stephens and took up the idea.

Rachel then recruited fellow writer, poet and publisher, Colleen Higgs and Short Story Day South was launched.

Participate in the Short Story Writing Challenge

Readers and writers of all ages, teachers, students can participate in the event.

Just gather five friends for the Chain Gang Challenge and join in the fun. Registration is open until June 15, 2011. The rules for this challenge are available on the website.

"We would like to see schools, libraries, bookstores, readers, writers, publishers and booksellers all take part - the more the better! Satellite events on the day, be it a workshop or reading can be hosted by any passionate party at any available location. We will supply them with some basic marketing materials and all the information and support they will need. We think the community aspect of this event is very important and hope to create some local heroes!"

Source: Shortstorydaysouth.co.za and Rabbit in a Hat Communications, thanks to Shafeeka Anthony

More info about the Chain Gang Challenge

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