Chichester university lecturer wins international award for new novella

University of Chichester lecturer Dr David Swann has beaten more than more than 100 entries to win an international short-story award for his new novella.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Dr Swann, a senior lecturer in English and creative writing, topped the annual Bath Novella-in-Flash Competition with Season of Bright Sorrow, a collection of short pieces that tells of the story of a young girl’s devastated life after her father is imprisoned.

He said: “I got the idea for the book many years ago when I was working in a prison, where I was shocked to see how the wives and children of inmates were sometimes treated when they came to visit their relatives in jail.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I would like to thank my collaborator Sam Hubbard, an artist based in Littlehampton, whose beautiful drawings will be part of the book when it’s published later this year.”

University of Chichester lecturer Dr David Swann won the annual Bath Novella-in-Flash Competition with Season of Bright SorrowUniversity of Chichester lecturer Dr David Swann won the annual Bath Novella-in-Flash Competition with Season of Bright Sorrow
University of Chichester lecturer Dr David Swann won the annual Bath Novella-in-Flash Competition with Season of Bright Sorrow

The university lecturer, who teaches modules on fiction, poetry, and screenwriting, is no stranger to international recognition for this work.

His flash-fiction Drought won the Bridport flash-fiction competition in 2015.

Dr Swann’s other works include The Privilege of Rain, which was based on his experiences as a writer in residence in HMP Nottingham, and shortlisted for the prestigious Ted Hughes award in the same year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Judges at the international Novella-in-Flash award praised the Season of Bright Sorrow collection for the ‘breadth and depth’ in the stories.

Assessor Michelle Elvy said: “This collection stands out for the rhythmic storytelling and the variety the reader encounters in these small fictions – told in fragments, in lists, in long breathless sentences, in repetitions, in sharp and believable dialogue.

“There is great care here, and yet the stories spill from the page seamlessly. The strong characters are woven together beautifully. A superbly designed set of stories, from beginning to end.”

---

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.