When I read Fluid, the first word that came to mind was alchemy: a seemingly magical process of transformation, creation, or combination.
The invitation
When the call for stories for Fluid came out it said the following:
In a FLUID state nothing is fixed, matter can flow easily, between borders and boundaries, between cultures, between genders, everything is possible, porous, playful. In this world, increasingly conservative and restricted, we embrace the fluid nature of humanity. We grow, we change course, we discover more about who we are.
The process
Writers were given the challenging task of responding to this invitation in just 3000 to 5000 words and in only two months. If you ever need evidence that South African writers can perform under pressure you can find proof in this collection.
The judges were writers Niq Mhlongo and Shubnum Khan, and storyteller Rešoketšwe Manenzhe who had the privilege of reading all of the submissions first, and then the difficult task of selecting the winners of the competition. From there they handed over to editors Joanne Hichens and Karina M. Szczurek to select just 20 pieces to include in the book.
Winner and highly commended stories
The overall winner of the Short.Sharp.Stories award was Keith Oliver Lewis for Blue Boy Lagoon. Shanice Ndlovu’s Of Somo Seeds and Jarred Thompson’s What We Ride On were both highly commended.
My thoughts
Though I wasn’t surprised at how good it is (I am always awed at the quality of the Short.Sharp.Stories collections and their breadth, the creativity and skill of the authors, and, it must be stated, the incredible effort put in by the editors over the years) the stories provided for surprise, whether it was through plot twists, interesting characters, turns of phrase, or genre-bending stories.
My favourite lines from the collection were from Alex Latimer’s YOLO – ‘Toilets are for Earth.’ – and Mabel Mnesa’s Jars for Nights Like These – ‘Money cannot buy that feeling of your feet grounding you into the earth.’ But truthfully each story had something to offer. Reading this was like attending a buffet and finding that you want to eat everything on the menu.
Fluid can proudly take its place alongside the previous Short.Sharp.Stories collections. As a writer, it is fantastic when I pick up a book of short stories and put it down several hours later feeling both envious of the talent and inspired by it. I am always searching for writing that challenges me to try new techniques, forms and genres, and that takes on subjects I hadn’t considered. This collection does just that.
This book provides 20 not-to-be-missed examples of excellent and enjoyable writing from new and experienced writers. It is a delight.
Get your copy now!
Jen Thorpe 