The Greenacre Writers Short Story Competition Shortlist

Twelve stories from our competition have been short-listed. They are presented in no particular order.

Ejecting Foreign Objects - Joanna Campbell

God the Homeless - Simon Farnham

Picture - Erik Lofroth

An Accident Waiting to Happen - Marie Campbell

The Art of Being Late - Julie Swan

A Perfect World - Veronica Bright

The Phantom Cavalier - Wanda Sellar

Up to the Ankles - Amy Flinders

The Art of Infinite Patience - Joanna Campbell
Watermark - Barbara Leahy

The Deaths of Zlatka Vlachova - Sue Healy

The Veteran - Elliot Mayhew

About our judge: Paolo Hewitt

We were delighted when Paolo agreed to attend the Greenacre Writers Mini Literary Festival in May 2012, as he is a much sought after writer and commentator on British popular culture, focusing on music and fashion. He was recently a major contributor to the BBC documentary series ‘British Style Genius'. At the festival he read from his book on Oasis and from his autobiography, gaining a few new fans in the process. 

Paolo first came to prominence when he joined Melody Maker in 1979 where he stayed for four years before joining the NME. At the same time his first book was published The Jam: A Beat Concerto. In 1990, he left the NME and started writing for Vogue Germany, Fare Musica in Italy and The Sunday Times. 

In 1993 his first novel was published: Heaven's Promise the first of its kind to focus on Britain's Acid House scene. After his third book The Small Faces: The Young Mod's Forgotten Story he was asked to write the major biography on the band Oasis - Getting High: The Adventure of Oasis.

In 1999 he wrote Forever The People - Six Months on the Road with Oasis along with his anthology of Sixties writing The Sharper Word.

In 2007 he had two more books published - The Changing Man, the definitive biography on Paul Weller and The Mumper a novel about seven friends who meet every week in their local pub. When a stranger asks them if they'd like to buy a racehorse, things get interesting. The book is the basis of the recent film 'Outside Bet', starring Bob Hoskins and Jenny Agutter. 

Paolo 's heart-wrenching autobiography The Looked After Kid - My Life in a Children's Home, led to the BBC shooting a 45 minute documentary on Paolo as part of their 'Taking Care' season.

Paolo has had no fewer than three books published this year: The A-Z of Mod; his book on The  Beatles  Love Me Do: 50 Great Beatles Moments, and Bowie: Album By Album.