HI FROM THE SHORT STORY CONFERENCE, TORONTO

I may be the worst jet-lag recoveree ever. It just goes on and on. I guess all the activity and heady short story info is also draining on the mind and body, while also being HUGELY stimulating, of course.

Anyway, enough of my faux moaning - I'm having a ball at this conference. I'm buying books by the new time, meeting dozens of interesting writers & academics, and listening to wonderful theories on the short story in all its forms. It seems to me there are more people here than at the last two conferences. It is great to see a huge contingent from the UK along with our Irish gang. Sadly Kevin Barry has been unable to join us. But we are flying the flag between writers (William Wall, Madeleine D'Arcy, Philip Ó Ceallaigh, Billy O'Callaghan and myself) and academics, including Philip Coleman and Matthew Stocker.

Here are some quotable quotes from fabulous writers. I've heard these statements over the last few days so they are FRESH to you, my dear readers.


On travel and the short story:

'Travel is an inherently creative project. It creates hope.' Michele Morano (USA)

'One shouldn't try to unravel the place one visits.' Xu Xi (Singapore/USA)

On writing:

'In order to write you have to have language and you have to have leisure. You have to have a place to sit.' Alistair MacLeod (Canada)

On Paddy O'Reilly's (Australia) excellent short fiction reading:

'I listened to every word.' Pat Jourdan (England)


On flash fiction:

'If you come out of a story knowing what the character wants, then you were in the presence of fiction, not prose poetry.' Robert Olen Butler (USA)

Read fellow Irish author Madeleine's blog on the conference at Triskel's site here.