The Desperate Literature Prize has to be be unique in its internationalism and focus on new, experimental writing. It was April 1st when I received the call telling me the judges had chosen my story ‘Frailings’ as the winner, which added considerably to the sense of disbelief. I am honoured to have been among such a strong longlist.
There are very few opportunities of this kind, particularly for writing that is ‘outside the mainstream’ – whatever that really means. I can’t think of a short story prize which offers such a cocktail of artistic and transformative opportunities. Since winning I’ve been invited to give readings in Paris and Madrid and consulted with a major literary agency in the US; I was also a resident writer at Civitella Ranieria Foundation, in a castle in Italy, where I stayed amongst a truly international network of artists and writers. I’ve just found out my story is being translated into Spanish and will distributed at Rizoma film festival. And all this is on top of generous prize money, meetings with fellow writers and publishers, and publication in limited edition booklet, as well as in Structo magazine.
It really is a fairytale literary prize, and I am immensely proud to be the inaugural winner.”
Ed Cottrell, winner of the 2018 Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize