CLARE REDDAWAY

​SHORT STORIES 

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STORY WALKS

Telling stories, real and imagined. A live story concept: physically walking the landscape whilst illuminating its history and culture using facts and fictions springing from the space as we pass through it. Audiences - walkers -seem to like my mixture of stories and walking: "I was transported," "we loved every moment of it", and "you have a magical way of storytelling" are just some of the responses.

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​I've made a new story-walk in Bath A Story-Walk Through The Pleasure Gardens which had its first outing for the Bath Fringe, May 2025.  

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I have created and led a number of story walks in Clifton in Bristol for the Clifton LitFest and for the Avon Gorge Wildlife Group.  My next outing is on the Bristol Downs on 12th October.

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I wrote Pubs and Potatoes, Giants and Geniuses, exploring the hidden histories of the Irish diaspora in Bristol. It was commissioned by the West of England Irish Culture Festival, and over 120 walkers have now joined me to step into the past. They seemed to enjoy themselves: 'emotive animated storytelling which really brought the history to life', 'fascinating' and 'a story stroll for the soul'.  I recently read one of the stories to the Irish Deputy Ambassador on her visit to Bristol. I was delighted to be told that the story was 'spellbinding'.

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Missed it? I am taking bookings for story-walks for private groups.  Have a look at the selection and get in touch if you'd like more information or are interested in your very own tour. 

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My story walks are now available in print. Buy my Clifton Story Walk here.

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RECENT SHORT STORY PUBLICATIONS AND COMPS:

• Long listed (in the top 50 stories) for the BBC National Short Story Award 2021

• Short listed for the Bridport Short Story Prize 2020

• Stand-alone short The Guts of a Mackerel published by Fly on the Wall Press in 2021.

• Winner of the first Axe River Books short story prize. The anthology, which includes my story Ripe Apricots, Burning Oil is out now. Judge Mel Greenwood said my story was 'one of the most powerful and beautiful stories' she'd ever read. 

• My greedy little story Moderation was published by Epoque Press in their Hunger E-Zine, March 2025. Have a read here. 

• My strange flooded story Water Rising, set on the Somerset Levels, was published in 2024 and available to read at Crayon Magazine. Crayon Magazine seems to have vanished, sadly, so I will have to find a new home for my watery tale.

• My story The Acorn Vase was published in a lovely new illustrated anthology Botanical Short Stories, (2024, History Press). It's a gorgeous book, full of excellent stories of gardens and plants.

• My story The Tea Dance was published in The London Independent Story Prize (LISP)'s latest anthology.

• My story The Stoat was shortlisted for the Parracombe Prize and was published in their anthology.

• Other recent publications include pieces in Porridge Magazine, in new Bristol-based Oranges Journal and on comedy website Funny Pearls. 

• My story The Longest Journey won the B&NES Libraries Lockdown competition. The story was recorded by Bel Mooney and has been published on the Papernations website as part of their Great Margins project. The judges said that the story 'caught their attention, finding light, hope and happier days where there only seemed despair'. You can read it here or listen to Bel Mooney reading it here.  It was also broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol (read by me this time). 'Beautiful fiction,' said Adam Crowther, 'Absolutely lovely

• Fairlight Books published a short story of mine, Touching The Sun, in their first anthology of short stories, have a look here.  I have a number of stories on the Fairlight short story portal including The Garden, which they chose as their story of the week and The Winter Egg which appeared at Easter. The Winter Egg is about the female designer of one of Faberge's Imperial Easter eggs, and was inspired by a trip to St Petersburg. Touching The Sun  was the first of my stories Fairlight published. ​​​​​​