250 readers and writers from around the world congregated online and in Milton Keynes last month for The Long and Short of It: From flash fiction to the doorstop novel, five weeks of events put on by the OU Contemporary Cultures of Writing research group in partnership with MK Lit Fest.

This series asked authors how they know which ideas or stories best suit which fictional form – flash fiction, short story, novella, or novel – and how their choice of form influences or informs the tools and techniques they use.

PhD students and recent graduates from OU Creative Writing convened four online events. Jupiter Jones, whose doctoral project is on the novella-in-flash, interviewed well-known flash fiction writer Electra Rhodes. Alistair Daniel, who recently completed his research-as-practice PhD, chaired a conversation with Prof. Rattawut Lapcharoensap, a Thai American short story writer. Sarah Bower, who combines her PhD study with work as an OU Associate Lecturer, interviewed OU creative writing academic and fellow novella writer Dr Emily Bullock. And Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone, whose PhD includes a novel with auto-fiction components, spoke with Prof. Amit Chaudhuri of Ashoka University about his novels which also draw on his lived experience. Rebekah commented that being asked to interview Amit Chaudhuri was “a dream come true.”

All four PhD students and recent graduates received professional development training in convening public events held on campus, co-funded by the Open Arts Research Centre and MK Lit Fest. They were joined at this training by members of MK Lit Fest and fellow English and Creative Writing PhD students and academics.  

English Literature PhD student Antonia Saunders wrote a summary of the training on the English and Creative Writing blog to be shared more widely via Open ARC. She reflected on the training: “I enjoyed every part of the day and found it all very engaging, inspiring in fact. I’m surprised by just how much I took away by the end of the day.”

The series concluded with Thinking and Writing Short and Long, an in-person panel at MK Lit Fest’s Spring Festival 2024 chaired by OU Creative Writing academic and novelist Dr Emma Claire Sweeney. Emma was joined on stage by her OU colleague, Creative Writing academic Dr Edward Hogan, who is well known for his novels and short stories alike. The other panellists – Dr Catherine Menon, Irenosen Okijie MBE FRSL, Prof. Naomi Wood – are similarly renowned for their long- and shortform fiction. 

Filmed clips from the panel will be included in a new version of our undergraduate Advanced Creative Writing course, A363. PhD students were also supported with planning and delivering high-quality content for the OU curriculum by Emma, who is also Media Lead for English and Creative Writing. Emma commented on the series’ success:

“This partnership with MK Lit Fest brought significant new audiences to the OU’s ground-breaking Creative Writing research, and it has embedded us in the cultural scene in Milton Keynes. Our PhD students gained valuable experience in both public engagement and curriculum design and delivery. We are now looking forward to the next chapter in our collaboration with MK Lit Fest.”

All the events were recorded, and videos of the whole series are available on MK Lit Fest’s YouTube channel and will shortly be available on the Contemporary Cultures of Writing’s webpage.  

Image insert: (c) Jonathan Ruppin
Left to right: Dr Emma Claire Sweeney, Dr Edward Hogan, Dr Catherine Menon, Irenosen Okijie MBE FRSL, Prof. Naomi Wood.