3 Minute Santas is back for its eighth exciting year!

It's time to submit your festive flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this December!

Can you tell a festive story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This Christmas, I’m once again looking for festive (not necessarily Christmas) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 14th December, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3 Minute Santas on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording via my website of your holiday-themed story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 2nd December.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. But ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – the details of how to submit are on my website.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite 3 Minute Santas will be broadcast on Hannah’s Bookshelf at 2pm on Saturday 14th December, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

3 Minute Scares is back for its ninth nailbiting year!

North Manchester FM’s Halloween creative writing competition is open for submissions for 2024.

Hannah's Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM, wants your scary stories for Halloween! Once again, I'm asking people throughout Greater Manchester to submit their 3-minute stories for my annual creative writing competition. Writers keen to be crowned Greater Manchester’s Spookiest Wordsmith can submit a recording of their mini-tale via my website, with the best entries being broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Halloween Special on Saturday 26th October.

I'm delighted to announce that the prize for this year’s best entry is a fabulous Halloween book bundle (with a few little surprises). Entries need to be 3 minutes long, meaning a word count of around 350-400 words. The judges will be looking for style and originality, as well as how scary the story is. The deadline for entries is midnight on Wednesday 16th October.

All you need to enter the competition is a computer with a microphone… and a good story. Entries can be recorded via my website. More information and rules of the competition, including information for people unable to submit a recording, can also be found on my website.

OUT NOW: Coffin Bell, Vol. 7, No. 3

A new issue of online journal Coffin Bell, featuring my story ‘The Third Uncle George’…

Coffin Bell is an online journal of dark literature edited by Tamara Burross Grisanti and a staff of volunteer editors. They publish poetry, flash fiction, short stories, creative nonfiction, essay, short criticism, and art exploring dark themes.

Contents:

Flash Fiction

'The Night Watcher' and 'I look in the mirror and she looks back' by Emmanuelle Knappenberger
'There’s No Such Thing as a Free Meal' by T. L. Sherwood
'Hope' by James Haig
'Vu Ahin Zol Ikh Geyn' by Cor de Wulf
'The Last Days' by Martin Andrew

Short Story

'Jamais Vu' by Maureen Mancini Amaturo
'The Besom' by Linda Boroff
'Itchy Trigger Finger' by Steve Levandoski
'The Third Uncle George' by Hannah Kate
'Explorations in the Waste Quarter' by James Owens
'Rat Trap' by Valerie E. Polichar
'Sympathetic Magick' by Bradford Gyori
'Tunnel' by Wes Blake
'We’ll Be Together Forever' by Ken Derry
'Trophies' by Melissa Pleckham
'Abimelech' by Jude Dexter
'The Creep' by Sian Jones
'The Station' by Raven Burnett
'Blackout' by Bailey Bujnosek
'Cool, Dark Stranger' by Katie Nickas
'Gertrude 1896 – 1927' by Jessalyn LeBlanc
'Soft News Night' by Jeanne Dickey
'The King of Spit' by Phil Keeling

Poetry

'Winter Commute' by Elisabeth Horan
'How Your Body Was Found', 'Nika' and 'A Calling Closer' by Leila Farjami
'Ghazal of the Cimmerians' by Christian Chase Garner
'My Husband, Ted Bundy', 'My Uncle, John Wayne Gacy, Visits Me', 'My First and Only Date with Herb Baumeister' and 'Potential Victim of David Berkowitz' by Sarah Lilius
'sod' by Leyla Guirand

For to read this issue, please visit the Coffin Bell website.

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this September!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (Autumn, harvest festival) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 21st September, I’ll be hosting the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 16th September.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 21st September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Lammas: Day 2

A bit more Lammas-y fun today, on the second day of our annual seasonal celebrations.

Breakfast in the Woods

Cinnamon swirl in Bailey's Wood for breakfast!

Litter-Pick in the Woods

It was the monthly Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick in the woods this morning. Not strictly speaking a seasonal thing, but I took the opportunity to enjoy the many late summer flowers (which are already attracting plenty of butterflies).

Hannah’s Bookshelf Lammas Special

This afternoon was the Hannah's Bookshelf Lammas Special on North Manchester FM. I played a few seasonal songs, and some Lammas-themed flash fiction from nine fantastic writers. And then we had scones and Welsh cakes at the studio to celebrate!

Beltane Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this May!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (May Day, Beltane, Spring) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 4th May, I’ll be hosting the first Hannah’s Bookshelf Beltane Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Thursday 25th April.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Beltane Special at 2pm on Saturday 4th May, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Spring Equinox: Day 3

Another day of celebrating the beginning of spring, and today was a bit of a busy one. Lots of seasonal fun today!

Crumpsall Park Spring Equinox Walk

I started the day by leading a Spring Equinox walk for Friends of Crumpsall Park. The sun was shining, and it was warmer than it's been, so it really did feel like spring was in the air.

Blossom Watch

On the way home from the park I saw two beautiful cherry blossom trees in bloom. They look like candy floss!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special

Today was the first ever Spring Equinox Special on Hannah's Bookshelf, my weekly radio show on North Manchester FM. I talked about spring folklore, played some spring-themed music, and then shared some original Equinox-inspired bite-size short stories by contributors to the show. I also made some more white chocolate and Parma Violets cupcakes for the volunteers at the centre where our studio is based.

Chocolate Popcorn

Okay, this one's advertised as an Easter treat, but as far as I'm concerned anything with a bunny rabbit on the packet is perfect for the Spring Equinox! Little snack for after my radio show... Trio of Chocolate Popcorn from Joe and Seph's!

Ostara Wax Melts

We bought a new wax diffuser last year, but we couldn't use it at Imbolc in case it aggravated the horrible coughs we got with one of the many colds we've had so far this year. But we've fired it up for spring, and this season we've got bunny rabbit shaped Black Plum and Rhubarb melts from Mysteria Melts.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons by Candlelight

Going to see a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Piccadilly Sinfonietta is now an annual tradition for us. It was part of our Imbolc celebrations for the past two years, but this year their performance at St Ann's Church fell during our Spring Equinox celebrations. It felt like this made more sense, as the Four Seasons does start with spring after all!

Hot Cross Bun Pie

We stopped off at McDonald's on the way home from the concert. Again, this seems like it might have been intended as an Easter special, but I think a Hot Cross Bun pie is seasonal enough for the Spring Equinox.

Spring Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this March!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (Spring) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 16th March, I’ll be hosting the first Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 11th March.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Spring Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 16th March, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Imbolc: Day 1

It's Imbolc! But, sadly, a bit of a quiet one for us this year, as we've both come down with horrible colds that have completely derailed our plans for the season. I'm gutted, because I really love Imbolc, and we had to cancel a few of our seasonal celebrations last year for various reasons. Here's hoping this isn't a sign of things to come this year. Sigh.

Imbolc Litter-Pick

It was the monthly Friends of Bailey's Wood litter-pick today. Rob wasn't well enough to make it, but I limped on and enjoyed finding some seasonal things in the woods. I'm glad I did, because I found some Scarlet Elf Cups! First time I've ever seen these mushrooms in real life!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Imbolc Special

This afternoon was the Hannah's Bookshelf Imbolc Special on North Manchester FM. I shared some seasonal stories and folklore, and then we had some original seasonal flash fiction submitted by four writers. I also contributed a story this time - 'Two Player Mode', a light-hearted take on the Imbolc season. And there were Imbolc cakes too, which I shared with the volunteers at the community centre where the NMFM studio is based.

Imbolc Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this January!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (winter, Imbolc, Candlemas, Groundhog Day) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 27th January, I’ll be hosting the first Hannah’s Bookshelf Imbolc Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 22nd January.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – once you’re ready to submit your story, click on the ‘Start Recording’ button on my website to record your story and submit it. Remember to enter your name and email address when submitting your story.

If you aren’t able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I’d like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Imbolc Special at 2pm on Saturday 27th January, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 28

Very big day today, with several outfit changes. So much Halloween. So much.

Bailey’s Wood Halloween Litter-Pick

It was the Friends of Bailey's Wood Halloween Fancy Dress Litter-Pick in the woods today. So I went dressed as... Bailey's Wood.

Hannah’s Bookshelf Halloween Special

This afternoon, it was the Hannah's Bookshelf Halloween Special on North Manchester FM, when I played the shortlisted stories for this year's 3 Minute Scares competition (and revealed the winner, of course). As is tradition, I was in fancy dress for the show, and I decided to go monochrome this time.

British Library Weird Fiction Subscription

I've signed up for a monthly British Library Tales of the Weird subscription, and the first one arrived this weekend. It's The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson! (Can't promise my hair will match the cover for every month though!)

Halloween Dinner

Halloween dinner with my parents tonight... autumnal stew and dumplings, followed by apple cake.

31 Halloween Film: Urban Legend

S-S-S-SOMEONE'S IN THE BACK SEAT!!

3 Minute Scares is back for its eighth ectoplasmic year!

North Manchester FM’s Halloween creative writing competition is open for submissions for 2023.

North Manchester FM's Hannah Kate wants your scary stories for Halloween! Once again, she’s asking people throughout Greater Manchester to submit their 3-minute stories for her annual creative writing competition. Writers keen to be crowned Greater Manchester’s Spookiest Wordsmith can submit a recording of their mini-tale via Hannah’s website, with the best entries being broadcast on the Halloween edition of Hannah’s Bookshelf on Saturday 28th October.

We’re delighted to announce that the prize for this year’s best entry is a fabulous Halloween book bundle (with a few little surprises). Entries need to be 3 minutes long, meaning a word count of around 350-400 words. The judges will be looking for style and originality, as well as how scary the story is. The deadline for entries is Tuesday 24th October, at midnight.

Last year’s competition was won by Catrìona McLean. North Manchester FM presenter Hannah Kate says: ‘Catrìona was a worthy winner last, with a story that blew me and guest judge Daisy Black away with its creativity and expert use of the short form. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this year brings!’

All writers need to enter the competition is a computer with a microphone… and a good story. Entries can be recorded via Hannah’s website. More information and rules of the competition, including information for people unable to submit a recording, can also be found on the website.

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah's Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

Submit your seasonal flash fiction to be played on Hannah’s Bookshelf this September!

Can you tell a seasonal story in just 3 minutes? Want to have your work played on the radio? This month, I’m looking for seasonal (autumn, harvest) flash fiction from around the world for inclusion on Hannah’s Bookshelf, the weekly literature show on North Manchester FM.

On Saturday 23rd September, I'll be hosting the first Hannah's Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special, and as part of my seasonal special, I’ll be playing a selection of my favourite 3-minute stories on the show (broadcast on FM and on digital). Want to be part of it? Submit a recording via my website of your seasonally inflected story (maximum 3 minutes) by midnight on Monday 11th September.

All genres welcome – be they cosy, romantic, scary or sad. The only rules are that stories must be your own original work, have some connection to the season, and be in English (the language of the broadcast). And please ease off the swears – stories have to be radio friendly! All you need is a microphone and a story – the details of how to submit are on my website.

If you aren't able to submit via a recording and would like another method of taking part, please message via my website for more information.

Please share this call with anyone who you think might be interested – I'd like to cast the net as wide as possible. My favourite seasonal stories will be broadcast on the Hannah’s Bookshelf Autumn Equinox Special at 2pm on Saturday 23rd September, on digital radio and 106.6FM.

Midsummer: Day 7

It's the big day! And gosh... what a week it's been. I feel like we've definitely made up for missing out on Beltane this year, and we've given the summer season a very grand welcome this time. Today was quite a busy one, building up to our Midsummer Dinner.

New Midsummer Earrings

These ones seemed particularly appropriate given the weather today!

Bailey’s Wood Midsummer Litter-Pick

We were back in the woods this morning for the Friends of Bailey's Wood Midsummer litter-pick. There were a few spots of rain, but otherwise a lovely summer's morning to be out in the woods!

Hannah’s Bookshelf Midsummer Special

This afternoon saw the first ever Hannah's Bookshelf Midsummer Special (a special seasonal edition of my weekly literature show on North Manchester FM). I had a lot of fun presenting this show, which featured a selection of seasonal short stories from some amazing writers.

Midsummer Tea Break!

My final Midsummer tea for this year! And today I'm drinking Deckchair Dreaming from Bird and Blend Tea.

Midsummer Dinner

Tonight Rob prepared the traditional Midsummer Dinner of Gratinated Cabbage and Roast Shallots.

Midsummer Gifts

We swapped our traditional Midsummer gifts tonight... more whiskies to add to the sets we'll be enjoying in December.

Jaws

We watched the traditional film (as of this year) of the season while we had our Midsummer Dinner... Jaws! An out-of-town policeman tries to investigate the death of a young girl in the face of stonewalling from potential witnesses, the indifference of the partying locals, and the intervention of the extravagantly dressed and charismatic leader of the island... WAIT A MINUTE!

And so the wheel of the year turns. We'll be celebrating again at Lammas.