Table 52A Collection of Short Stories
The short stories from Table 52 Writers cover an eclectic mix of themes dealing with a wide range of human experience.
From the tragic and moving to the uplifting and humorous, each story sprang from the vivid imagination of the storyteller.
The result is a diverse and thought-provoking collection, bringing to life an innocent child, a lost widower and his dog, an outrageous romantic, an ambitious film-maker, a perfect family, a disillusioned wife, a grieving father, a Turkish chorister, and a village gossip.
After coming together as a group on a writing course, the authors continued to meet at a local café, to share and discuss their writing, and to support each other – they always sat at table 52. As well as being an enjoyable read, this book aims to inspire others to take the plunge and start their writing journey.
About this book
Our first collection of short stories was published in April 2021.
For the year before it was published, our writing group met regularly, first in person then virtually, sharing and discussing our stories as they developed. We encouraged each other to get to the finish line.
The stories
- Reason to be Live
- Copley Lane
- What Happens in Boston
- The Number 26 Bus
- The River Goes On
- Judith’s Journey
- Counting On Rose
- The Chorister from Istanbul
- Via Con Me
Foreword
As I faced them in the classroom at Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College I soon could see that this lot of learners in the writing course were a little bit special. It wasn’t just their attentive looks or lively questions nor even the fact that every one of them came back week after week. It was that all of them, from the start, were producing work. Not just exercises, or jottings, or concepts in their head, but real stories. As the course progressed I listened as ideas were given bones and flesh, began to totter to a standing position and then walk – or even run. At the end of term I said goodbye to nine bona fide writers, all with a unique voice and a host of stories to tell.
So I was delighted but not utterly surprised when they texted me nine months later to ask if I would edit this book. I was expecting what teachers like to call “good work”, but these stories are the real thing. They are moving, funny, absorbing, poignant and thought-provoking.
Deborah Reeves wonderfully captures the voice of a young girl undergoing a disturbing rite of passage in “Copley Lane”. The routine of the bus driver in Flavie Salaun’s “Counting on Rose” can’t protect him from memories of a searing tragedy. In Frank Offer’s “The River Goes On” a film director is changed by a near death experience. Celia Gray’s “Judith’s Journey” will give heart to all middle-aged women who feel trapped by life. If you enjoyed the character of Inspector Clouseau you will love the pompous policeman in Karen Ali’s “Via Con Me”. Trevor Aston’s “Reasons To Be Live” tells of a grieving man – and a talking dog. Or is it? Sinem Erenturk’s moving theme in “The Chorister of Istanbul” is how singing crosses cultural borders. Back to comedy with Sally Teel’s “The Number 26 Bus” and a monster of a town gossip. And in Jo Abare’s “What Happens In Boston” a Christmas present triggers a mother’s fears about a past indiscretion. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I have.
Tony Kirwood, writer and teacher
Proceeds from our short story collections will go to the mental health charity Richmond Borough Mind. Visit Richmond Borough Mind