It’s been a while, but I’ve enjoyed telling my short stories at venues in London over the past few years. I’ve told stories about best friends (the sort you love to hate) at the George Inn in Southwark, tall tales about killer rats at the Lido Cafe in Herne Hill, and now I’m warming up for Open Mic Night at the Paxton Centre in Crystal Palace.
I have a soft spot for the Paxton Centre, a quirky independent arts venue run by artist and ceramicist Beth Mander. It hosted my launch party for Unlawful Things back in December, and Beth made sure the night went smoothly. The Paxton’s monthly Open Mic Night is a mixture of music and spoken word performances, and usually gets a lively audience. It’s hosted by acclaimed poet Joe Duggan, whose own poetry performances are by turns funny, moving and powerful. I was thrilled when Joe asked me to do a slot.
I’m going to tell an old favourite, one of my first published short stories, Stag. It’s about the terrifying consequences of upsetting the local goddesses, the morning after a stag do, in my old hunting ground of Greenwich Park. Let’s just say the wedding may need to be postponed…
You can book tickets (a very reasonable £3) here: https://www.thepaxtoncentre.co.uk/whats-on/2019/2/22/open-mic-night.
Stag was first published in the ‘penny dreadful for the 21st century’ magazine One Eye Grey.