We’re thrilled to announce that How to Make a Window Snake, the novella-in-flash by Charmaine Wilkerson and published by Ad Hoc Fiction in 2017, won the best novella category in the prestigious Saboteur Awards 2018. Charmaine also won first prize with this novella in the inaugural novella-in-flash Award 2017, judged by Meg Pokrass. When Meg heard about the Saboteur results she remarked – “There was no question in my mind about this novella. Finding a gem like this was a gift.”
Thank you to readers in the flash fiction community who first of all nominated How to Make a Window Snake, which allowed it to reach the short list of five, and then followed that up by voting for Charmaine to win. Claire Trevien, the founder of the Saboteur Awards, said that they didn’t know about the novella-in-flash genre before this year’s awards, so all you enthusiastic flash fiction world wide writers have now helped put the form firmly on the map.
Just before they announced How to Make a Window Snake as winner, the Saboteur hosts quoted one of our voters’ comments about the novella:
“From beginning to end, the novella is compelling, descriptive and gripping. A pleasure to see this wordsmith and story teller thrive and succeed. I’ve been watching and reading her for a long time. A star is born!”
Thank you to whoever made this comment, which we thoroughly endorse, and thank you to the many others who also commented, along with voting. Both Bath Flash Fiction Award and Charmaine have copies of everyone’s remarks.
It was wonderful that Charmaine travelled all the way from Rome for the event and was there to receive her trophy and a bottle of Sacred Gin. I was so pleased to be there to support her and to represent Ad Hoc Fiction. It was an interesting and very fun occasion – if you haven’t been, do book a ticket next year. You’ll get a chance to attend workshops,and hear short listed writers, magazines, publishers and performers from twelve different categories reading from and performing their work – such talent. It was a high energy event, hosted superbly by the Saboteur team. Our thanks to Claire Trevien and to everyone else involved for making this all happen. They deserve an award themselves.
And if you haven’t read How to Make a Window Snake and the two other brilliant novellas contained in the anthology, A Safer Way to Fall, by Joanna Campbell and Things I dream about when I’m Not Sleeping by Ingrid Jendrzejewski, you can buy it at bookshop.adhocfictionaward.com.
Our next novella-in-flash award, judged by Michael Loveday is open for entries and closes in January 2019. The collection of three novellas-in-flash from the 2018 award, In the Debris Field will be published soon. And you can learn more about writing a novella-in-flash in a workshop with Meg Pokrass and Jude Higgins at the Flash Fiction Festival in Bristol 20-22 July.
Jude Higgins, May 2018
