We’re delighted to publish an interview with our June first prize winner, Alison Powell, just before the end of the Early Bird Period for our next Award this Sunday 10th August. Read judge, Marie Gethins comments about her amazing first prize win and look for a great prompt by Alison to inspire you to write for the next round at the end of the interview,

Q & A with Alison

The piece started as an exploration of tiny but hugely significant moments in life. I think flash is the perfect medium for zooming in on those transitions in life that might go unnoticed – not the break up itself but the awkward moment of misunderstanding when the break up begins. At the same time I was seeing the reports about the protests in LA. I started thinking about those people taking a stand for what matters and how easy it is in this age of information overload for us to look away, to disengage from tragedy and violence. But against the backdrop of the LA protests (or the war in Ukraine, or the horror of Gaza, or any other huge and terrible event) everyday life continues. At the same time as the city is falling into chaos and people are turning a blind eye, a child is taking their first steps and a parent is not paying attention. It’s the same thing on a micro and a macro scale. I interlaced the two and the story kind of surfaced in the way they sometimes do – like a photograph developing.

That’s right! It felt like a bonus birthday gift to win BFFA and I will be using the prize money to fund my upcoming adventures. I’m currently hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and though I won’t write directly about this, I have scribbled a few lines and thoughts in my notebook along the route that I’ll likely return to at some point. As for my itinerary, I’ve planned a round-the-world trip, stopping in Georgia, India, Australia and the Bahamas. I will absolutely be using lots of that time to focus on my writing. I want to compile a flash collection and also to give space to a novel idea that has been scratching at the edges of my dreams for a wee while.

• You have been teaching writing classes for many years at WriteClub in Bristol . Can you tell us more about this venture? What do you offer to writers?

I set up WriteClub in Bristol in 2016 with my novelist pal Emily Koch. It started as a way to bring writers together for the fun of writing. We had both recently completed the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa and were missing the writing community! At first we offered monthly in person sessions that were intended to inspire new writing through various exercises – often movement and drama based (I’ve been a Secondary English and Drama teacher for many years so this comes into play in my workshops!) When Emily had her first baby and published her first novel, I took on WriteClub as a solo venture and since the pandemic have been offering workshops, courses and 1-1 coaching for writers online and in person. My intention is always to support people to find their own voice, build their confidence and develop their craft. Have a look at www.writeclub.org.uk if you’d like to see what’s coming up. I’m also on Instagram and Substack as @hellowriteclub

I love a good title! I co-edited the National Flash Fiction Day anthology with Tino Prinzi a few years back and I remember noticing how a title can really do a lot of lifting in flash. I also did a titles workshop – I think it was at the first Flash Fiction Festival – and there was a mini-competition for the best flash title…we wrote them on a table cloth and mine came second. My titles usually evolve along with the writing. Although the final line often emerges first.

I aspire to be the sort of person who has a dedicated writing schedule! I’d love to be able to immerse myself in a writing habit the way Murakami describes in ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ – apparently he writes for a few hours, goes for a 10k run then comes back and edits. But my life is more erratic than that and I tend to sit down – sometimes on the day of a deadline (sometimes just a few hours before, if I’m really honest) either on the sofa or in bed with my laptop. I seem to work best with the time pressure.

Think of an important historical figure who fascinates you – Queen Elizabeth I, Leonardo Da Vinci, Marie Curie, Napoleon…Spend no more than 30 minutes researching their life. Now write a story about someone in a contemporary setting who has an imaginary relationship with this historical figure. See what emerges!

Or if that feels too surreal, write a good old fashioned rant. Let rip on the page about something that is bugging you on a global or personal level. Let that be your starting place and see where it takes you.

STOP PRESS: Since we asked Alison these questions we’ve seen she won second prize in the inugural AStley short story prize, judgeed by Sean Lusk, with another great title! ‘If You Look Closely, You Can See White Horses Running’