BackStory: Four Questions with Ranjabali Chaudhuri Author of Windows What inspired you to write ‘Windows’? Christmas! Just walking on Oxford Street with those grand, dreamy displays sends you to another world doesn’t it? And they have been there for years…
Windows
Windows by Ranjabali Chaudhuri I love shop windows. Their colours, jewels, and mannequins sing the dulcet promise of possibility. They let me be anyone. Superimposed upon the clothes on display, my reflection can be a soldier in a red and…
BackStory: Four Questions with Matthew Richardson
BackStory: Four Questions with Matthew Richardson Author of Foundering What inspired you to write this ‘Foundering’? I think there is an interesting dynamic to be found when examining those who in times gone by made their living on the coast,…
Foundering
Foundering by Matthew Richardson It’s only when Ma and Pa wake me that I realise the cries weren’t in my dreams. I’m told to get dressed quickly. Truth be told there’s not much to put on – a shirt and…
BackStory: Five Questions with Lilly Posnett
BackStory: Five Questions with Lilly Posnett Author of Bird Sounds What inspired you to write ‘Bird Sounds’? I’ve only recently discovered flash fiction and I was considering what kind of moments the form is uniquely able to capture. I came…
Bird Sounds
Bird Sounds by Lilly Posnett They were kept there for a while. We lived nearby. The noise was constant. The smell, unbearable. On the third day, we had to close the windows and sweat in the July apartment. I was…
FlashBack Feature: Catching Up with Nuala O’Connor
FlashBack Feature: Catching Up with Nuala O’Connor Author of Ébauche, Esquisse, Étude, Tableau We’ll be back next autumn with our ninth season of historical flash, but in the meantime, we’re spending the week celebrating Nuala O’Connor’s new collection of historical…
Ébauche, Esquisse, Étude, Tableau
Ébauche, Esquisse, Étude, Tableau by Nuala O’Connor Ébauche/First sketch Mademoiselle Amélie Noellie Parayre sits beside me at this dull Paris wedding. She’s cadaver-pale, serious in the eyes. At the cold press of her fingers, I’m seduced. I see her already…
Timeline: FlashBack’s Eighth Season
We’re preparing for our annual summer break, but first, here is our seasonal look back at what we’ve published this spring. In case you’ve missed any of these wonderful pieces, here are the links. And, as always, you can find…
BackStory: Three Questions with Barbara Buckley Ristine
BackStory: Three Questions with Barbara Buckley Ristine Author of Faerie Coffins What inspired you to write this ‘Faerie Coffins’? I spent a day in the Scottish National Museum in Edinburgh, and I was fascinated by an exhibit about the miniature…