‘We wanted to attract an audience beyond writers to those who just love listening to stories’

For aspiring writers and storytellers, the chance to share your work with an audience and receive instant feedback on the tale you have spun is not an opportunity that regularly presents itself.

This was until South Petherton resident Grace Palmer launched Novel Nights and Fresh Fiction, giving those who wanted to get their stories out there and listened to, a chance to do just that.

The next tranche of storytellers will be enthralling an audience at St. David’s Hall in South Petherton on Sunday, September 17 and ahead of the event, Grace has spoken to Somerset’s Alive! about Fresh Fiction and what inspired her to launch Fresh Fiction.

Grace said: “I set up Novel Nights ten years ago in Bristol and it then expanded to Bath and briefly to Exeter. Novel Nights used to include  events such as author talks, open mics, and writing courses.

“Grace continued: “The idea behind it  was to have a place where writers could meet together and listen to published authors discuss craft in an informal setting .

”I’ve organised over one hundred events through Novel Nights I had an arts council grant in 2019, but then the pandemic hit. I moved to Somerset and set up Fresh Fiction, a night of original short stories.”

Grace has turned her attention to her career, in which she is writing a novel of her own as well as teaching others the writing processes.

Grace said: “I teach creative writing classes on short stories and flash fiction at Bristol Folk House, a national organisation for retired people called The Joy Club, and soon I will be teaching classes locally in South Petherton and also at Ilminster Meeting House.”

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Fresh Fiction is a relatively new creation from Grace, and it is taking on the baton from Novel Nights as it gives writers the chance to air their stories in front of a live audience.

Grace explained: “Two years ago I moved to South Somerset and, keen to connect with writers in the area, I  set up a short story night called Fresh Fiction.

“The idea behind it is fairly simple – we set a theme then writers send their stories to us and we curate an evening of short stories.”

She continued: “We have a lot of fun with Fresh Fiction and one of the most gratifying parts of running this short story event is to see writers grow in confidence.

“Giving writers a place to read their work aloud to an audience is very special.

“There’s a moment sometimes when the audience hold their breath when listening to a story, and as a writer, when that happens, you know your writing has found a home.”

The night involves interaction with those listening and Grace said there are instant rewards in this happening.

Grace told Somerset’s Alive!: “The audience get involved too.  We dress the hall according to the theme, and at our last event we asked the audience to present roses to the writers of the stories they most enjoyed.”

The challenge for writers is often to simplify stories, to ensure that they are easy to follow when being read aloud, have a clear narrative structure and are engaging.  

Grace explained that the stories are selected by a team so that on the night there is a fluidity to the storytelling that keeps the event moving at apace.

She said: “A team of three choose; that’s Helen Williams, myself and Jem Thompson-Smith. The three of us are newcomers to South Petherton, and co-incidentally moved  around two years ago and over a shared love of stories and story-telling.

“Incidentally Jem works for Somerset libraries and has a music podcast on Glastonbury FM.

“Fresh Fiction is a collaboration with The David Hall, a wonderful venue right in the heart of South Petherton.”

With authors attending from Devon, Wiltshire and Bristol as well as Somerset, Grace admits “the challenge for us is grow our audience.”

They have done this so far by being a part of other events, with Grace saying: “Since we started last autumn Ilminster Literary Festival approached us and so we chose the best stories from the year to perform as part of the festival.

“We’ve also been featured in the Take Art programme.”

To book tickets for Fresh Fiction, visit Novel Nights HERE.