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Empty Stage

Writer • Playwright • Writing Events

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CLARE REDDAWAY

WHAT'S NEW

Debut novel Dancing In The Shallows now out, published by Fairlight Books. Available to buy here.

 

Isla Wintergreen is drifting through her life. When she unexpectedly inherits a cottage on the Isle of Skye from a grandfather she last saw when she was seven, she thinks it might be a chance to escape. As she slowly becomes a part of the island community, she learns more about the family she never really knew – from her estranged father, to her reclusive grandfather, and her mysterious great-grandmother. Meanwhile, her mother Cathy reflects on her own past. Mother and daughter both hope to find new freedom – but can family patterns ever really be broken?

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Told through the lives of four generations of Isla’s family, all linked by their connection to water, Dancing in the Shallows masterfully explores family relationships and generational inheritance.


'Reddaway writes with an intimacy which made me feel as if I was sitting at the kitchen table with each character. It's a warm, enticing read [and] despite being a short novel it packs a punch. Reddaway explores difficult concepts with impressive clarity and emotional insight.' [Debut Digest] 

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'Engaging, immersive and utterly believable' [ Deborah Jenkins]

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'Clare Reddaway is a richly gifted writer who captures the complexities of her characters’ lives with grace, power, and tender humour. An impressive and memorable debut' [Emma Timpany]

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OTHER RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:​

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MORE NEWS: 

Workshops:

Since 2020 I have been running my regular writing workshops on Zoom. I run monthly creative writing workshops and a short story discussion group that has proved very popular. There's further information here.  Let me know if you'd like to be kept informed about upcoming workshops

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Clifton Story Walks:

My latest story walk for the Clifton LitFest in November was great fun. "I was transported," "we loved every moment of it", and "you have a magical way of storytelling" are just some of the responses from audiences. I revisited all of my Clifton story-walks in April. I am available to lead groups on a story walk of their choice - have a look at the selection here and get in touch if you'd like more information. 

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Pubs and Potatoes, Giants and Geniuses, a story-walk around Irish Bristol. I led the walk for the second year during Bristol's St Patrick's Day celebrations, having been commissioned to create the story-walk for the West of England Irish Culture Festival in Bristol in 2023. Over 120 walkers have now joined me to explore the hidden histories of the Irish diaspora in Bristol. They seemed to enjoy themselves: 'emotive animated storytelling which really brought the history to life', 'fascinating' and 'a story stroll for the soul'.  

 

Publications and comps:

My strange flooded story Water Rising, set on the Somerset Levels, is now published and available to read at Crayon Magazine. My story The Acorn Vase has been selected for a lovely new illustrated anthology Botanical Short Stories, to be published April 2024 by the History Press. It looks like it will be a gorgeous book. My story The Tea Dance was published in The London Independent Story Prize (LISP)'s latest anthology. Other recent publications include pieces in Porridge Magazine, in new Bristol-based Oranges Journal and on comedy website Funny Pearls. My story The Stoat was shortlisted for the Parracombe Prize and was published in their anthology.

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Plays:

My play Flotsam was selected as one of the plays developed by Theatre West as part of their Zooming Ahead project in 2021. I worked on the play with Theatre West and dramaturg Marietta Kirkbride and had a full reading of the play on zoom. The play has now been selected by a local Bath theatre group who have plans for a rehearsed reading in September. They are aiming for a full production during the festival season 2024. 

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Wild and Precious: my first solo show. At the Theatre Royal Bath (upstairs!) as part of the Elevate Festival, March 2023. I had a full house! People seemed to enjoy my leopards, seaweeds and face masks as I wrestled with how to make our lives more wild and precious. 

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Unpleasantville, Bath

I'm so pleased to be included in the v cool Unpleasantville Bath sonic walk created by Kim Halliday. Walk and listen, or listen at home to fun history, local music and me! I'm in the 11th blue circle (very Dante) or you can stand and listen in situ on Royal Avenue.

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Live Lit:

I joined fellow writer Philip Douch for his show last year at Burdall's Yard in Bath and again later on in his tour in Chipping Sodbury and I will be on stage with him in Wooten Edge on 27th April. I recently participated in a fab new live short story event, Fresh Fiction, run by Grace Palmer of Novel Nights. One of the audience members said of my story 'Green Roofs': Lovely evocation of hope and the power of kindness – beautifully paced. I'm glad they enjoyed it.

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Podcast:

I've got another story on the Unbound podcast series. A Long Way From Home is available to listen to here. It is read by Rebecca Charles, sound edited by Mark Lingwood and produced by Tempest Productions.  Tempest also recorded my story Living in The Shadow of Venus, which you can listen to here. The Unbound series of stories are all well worth a listen.

 

BBC Radio:

I regularly have stories broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol Upload. Recently Adam Crowther repeated my story 'For Those In Peril On The Sea', in celebration of broadcasting from the Sea Monster in Weston Super Mare. When he played my story A Long Way From Home, he said  'one of the finest writers we've had on Uploader', which was lovely. He also broadcast and enjoyed my story King Arthur Fights The Corona Dragon. And Lancelot Comes Too, Dammit. 'A masterclass in storytelling,' he said. During lockdown I wrote three stories that were selected to be played and Adam has also broadcast A  Living in the Shadow of Venus and The Winter's Egg. He's also chosen a couple of funny stories including The Witch, "It put a right smile on my face," said Adam, and No Animals Were Hurt In The Writing Of This Story: 'Lovely story that had me belly laughing today', said Adam.

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BBC Upload Festival:

Participated as a panellist in this excellent festival on BBC Radio. Ran a workshop which seemed to go down well. Attendees took to Twitter and said: Great writing workshop, loved the writing exercises and great writing advice! | Very informative | Really useful exercises, tips and motivation. Got my mojo back!  And my favourite: 'Superb!'

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Film:

Delighted, and slightly amazed, that my script Whale Song is one of only two feature length screenplays in development with a Bristol film company.

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#WhereTo:

Very proud to be selected by Documental Theatre to be one of the south-west artists featured in their #WhereTo campaign. You can view my contribution in their compilation here, but I'd highly recommend watching all the films - they're an incredibly impressive snapshot of the fantastic variety of work going on in this region. 

 

Anthology:

Fairlight Books have published a short story of mine, Touching The Sun, in their first anthology of short stories. It's rather a delicious book, 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. 

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Paris:

My short story The Longest Journey is being published in an anthology Together Behind Four Walls. As part of this project, I have filmed myself reading the story for Paris Lit Up. (It's on Youtube, just after 11 minutes in). 

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Lockdown competition:

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.'

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Bath Radio:

I was involved in Bath Radio's Literature Festival. A Word In Your Ear curated five short fictions from Story Friday writers, including one of mine. I interviewed the brilliant crime writer Sarah Hilary, and I was interviewed in turn by Elaine Miles. 

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Writing Supplies

CONTACT

If you'd like to get in touch with me send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks for submitting!

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