'These darkly comic tales place the author snugly between Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. Be sure: Chris Fielden is one funny feller.' Allen Ashley, British Fantasy Award winner.
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Stokes Croft Writers & Talking Tales

Quick links on this page:

talking tales - about stokes croft writers - join - social media - calendar -members

Stokes Croft

Talking Tales

A warm, friendly story-telling / poetry / spoken word night, showcasing the talent of Bristol and beyond. Join us for stories, badges and the legendary 'Finish the Lines'.

The next Talking Tales will take place later in 2024 - date to be confirmed.

The last Talking Tales took place on January 25th 2024 and celebrated the launch of the latest To Hull And Back Short Story Anthology.

Talking Tales 34

Christie, one of the writing group's founders, has opened a book shop in Bristol and we're pleased to announce that it's the new home for Talking Tales. It's called The Small City Bookshop and is located at 201 Church Road, Redfield, Bristol, BS5 9HL.

We often collaborate with Urban Word Collective – a collective of artivists and writers – for the Talking Tales events. Shaun Clarke and the rest of the UWC members regularly perform at our events.

Sadly, our old home - the LeftBank - closed its doors during the pandemic. We're very sad to see LeftBank go. It was a great venue and the staff have always been very supportive of Talking Tales since it launched. We'd like to say a big thank you to them.

Talking Tales story reading

The Next Talking Tales

When? Later in 2024 - date to be confirmed

Where? The Small City Bookshop, 201 Church Road, Redfield, Bristol, BS5 9HL

Start time? 7pm BST, doors open 6.45pm

Deadline for submissions? Date to be confirmed

How do I submit? Please read the submission guidelines below.

Talking Tales Calendar

Below are other dates we have booked for future Talking Tales:

  • More Talking Tales events coming soon... watch this space

Talking Tales logo

 

Want To Perform?

We want YOU to perform your work. Our submission guidelines are super-simple, much like us. Newcomers welcome! There isn't usually a theme, but if there is, it will say so below.

Talking Tales Perform

We only have a couple of guidelines:

  • Come and tell your story in whatever way you want. 7 minute slots (if you write things down, that's around 300 words). To secure your spot, submit your work by date t be confirmed to stokescroftwriters@gmail.com.
    • Please note, for the January event, the performance slots are shorter than normal because we are celebrating the launch of the 2023 To Hull And Back Short Story Anthology.
  • Drop in spots are available on the night. If you have any questions, email us at stokescroftwriters@gmail.com.

That’s it!

We’d love you to get involved.

All readers are awarded a coveted Talking Tales Badge.

Talking Tales Badge 2023

Over enthusiasm regarding potential badge ownership when submitting will not be tolerated. Please attempt to contain your excitement. We know it's difficult, but try.

And, for posterity, here is an image of the original TT badge. These are now rare collectors items :)

Talking Tales Badge

More Information About Talking Tales

Talking Tales has been running for many years and we've enjoyed many a multitude of performances from writers in the local area and further afield. We record some of the events and release them as podcasts or videos on YouTube afterwards.

Join Our Mailing List

If you'd like to join our email list, please contact Chris. We send emails out before events, asking for submissions. We do not share your information with anyone, ever. You can learn more by reading Chris's privacy policy.

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Stokes Croft Writers

Stokes Croft Writers (SCW) is a fiction writing group based in Bristol. We meet up every 2 weeks or so to share and critique our short stories, novel chapters, non-fiction pieces and anything else written by members of the group.

We are an eclectic bunch, writing everything from humour to fantasy and flash fiction to novellas & novels.

Stokes Croft Writers logo

Many of the group members help judge the To Hull & Back humorous short story competition. You can read their stories in the anthologies.

SCW is also involved with the Bristol Festival of Literature and we often present The Speakeasy, which is the festival's closing event.

Stokes Croft Writers

SCW members behaving very sensibly at the Bath Fringe Festival

We used to have a website (www.stokescroftwriters.com) but decided to close it down in 2018. This is because all the events we run are free, so the group does not have any income. The website was costing us a lot of money every year and we weren't using it very much, so we decided to use a page on Chris's website instead.

Find SCW & Talking Tales on Social Media

Here are links to the Stokes Croft Writers / Talking Tales social media pages:

Join Stokes Croft Writers

If you're interested in becoming a member of Stokes Croft Writers, please email Christie at:

stokescroftwriters@gmail.com

We limit the group to 8 members. The group meets sporadically in Bristol. We prefer to meet people prior to accepting them as group members, so the best bet is to come along to a Talking Tales event and have a chat with us.

If you'd like to join our email list, please contact Chris.

You can learn about the current members below.

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Talking Tales Calendar / History

Here is the Talking Tales calendar, including a history of past events. Everyone is welcome, so if you fancy an evening of storytelling and drinking (the latter is optional) please come along. Entry is currently FREE to the vast majority of our events.

Coming Soon...

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #35 will take place later in 2024 - date to be confirmed - at The Small City Bookshop in Bristol

Talking Tales logo

Past Events

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #34 on Thursday 25th January 2024 at The Small City Bookshop in Bristol

../images/Talking Tales January 2024 group shot

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #33 on Thursday 7th September 2023 at The Small City Bookshop in Bristol

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #32 on Wednesday 10th May 2023 at The Small City Bookshop in Bristol

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #31 on Thursday 23rd February 2023 at The Small City Bookshop in Bristol

Talking Tales February 2023

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #30 on Friday 23rd September 2022 at the Wild Goose Café in Bristol

Talking Tales 30 at the Wild Goose Cafe Bristol

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #29 on Zoom on 15th January 2022

Talking Tales 29 Zoom Screenshot

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #28 on Zoom on 11th December 2021

Talking Tales 28 Zoom Screenshot

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #27 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 11th February 2020

Mark Rutterford and Mel Ciavucco at Talking Tales

Stokes Croft Writers present the To Hull & Back short story competition anthology book launch as part of Talking Tales #26 on 10th December 2019

Talking Tales readers

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #25 @ Left Bank, as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature on Tuesday 8th October 2019

Talking Tales number 25, held at LeftBank in Bristol, UK

Stokes Croft Writers present the Talking Tales 'Flash Fiction Extravaganza' #24 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Tuesday 20th August 2019

Talking Tales 24 at LeftBank in Bristol

Talking Tales Readers

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #23 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Tuesday 11th June 2019

Talking Tales short story performance

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #22 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 9th April 2019

Talking Tales short story reading event

Stokes Croft Writers present the To Hull & Back short story competition anthology book launch as part of Talking Tales #21 on 8th December 2018

Talking Tales #21 December 2018

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #20 @ Cafe Kino, as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature on 27th October 2018

Talking Tale at the Bristol Festival of Literature

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #19 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 16th June 2018

Talking Tales

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #18 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 21st April 2018

Talking Tales at Left Bank Bristol

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #17 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 17th February 2018

Mark Rutterford Hosting Talking Tales

Mark Rutterford Hosting Talking Tales

Stokes Croft Writers present the To Hull & Back short story competition anthology book launch as part of Talking Tales #16 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Saturday 9th December 2017

Talking Tales Short Story Reading Event

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #15 @ Left Bank, as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature on 28th October 2017

Talking Tales Story Performers

SCW present Talking Tales #14 @ The Bath Fringe Festival, Burdall’s Yard, Bath on 2nd June 2017

Talking Tales Bath Fringe Festival

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #13 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 22nd April 2017

Talking Tales 13 - 2nd anniversary event

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #12 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 18th February 2017

Talking Tales Story Reading Event

Stokes Croft Writers present the To Hull & Back short story competition anthology book launch as part of Talking Tales #11 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Saturday 10th December 2016

To Hull and Back Book Launch 2016

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #10 @ Left Bank, Bristol as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature on Saturday 22nd October 2016

Talking Tales @ Bristol Festival of Literature

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #9 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 13th August 2016

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #9 August 2016

SCW present Talking Tales #8 @ The Bath Fringe Festival, Burdall’s Yard, Bath on 5th June 2016

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #8 June 2016 @ Bath Fringe Festival

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #7 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 16th April 2016

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #7 - 1st Birthday Party April 2016

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #6 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 20th February 2016

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #6 February 2016

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #5 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 14th December 2015

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #5 December 2015

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales (The Speakeasy) #4 @ Left Bank, Bristol as part of the Bristol Festival of Literature on Saturday 24th October 2015

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #4 - The Speakeasy @ Bristol Festival of Literature October 2015

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #3 @ Left Bank, Bristol on 17th August 2015

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #3 August 2015

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #2 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Monday 15th June 2015

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #2 June 2015

Stokes Croft Writers present Talking Tales #1 @ Left Bank, Bristol on Monday 13th April 2015

Podcast & Video of Talking Tales #1 April 2015

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Current Members

This picture was taken at the inaugural Talking Tales event on 13th April 2015.

Writing Group

From left to right, Chris Fielden, Christie Cluett, Tom Parker, Mel Ciavucco, Nick Edwards, Steph Minns, Andy Melhuish and Leah Eades

A few changes have occurred since then. The current members of SCW are (links take you to their personal websites):

Those That Have Left The SCW Fold

A few members have left, because we don't like them. JOKING. For various reasons, like moving away because of work, emigrating to Germany, not being able to stand Chris's unnatural hatred of incorrect use of punctuation 'for artistic reasons' etc.

They are:

  • Andy Melhuish
  • Anita MacCallum
  • Dani Redd
  • Edward Field
  • Elisabeth Mizon
  • Josh Keeling
  • Leah Eades
  • Lisette Hoffmans
  • Nick Edwards
  • Sophie Bishop - Sophie runs Show & Tell in Bristol - it's awesome

All of them are sadly missed, although we do still get to drink beer with some of them on occasion, which makes us very happy.

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Lindy G
Hi Chris et al. I tried to join up having got to that bit in your book (wot I am reading like a good 'un) and despite putting my details in twice and pressing the 'submit' button, nothing happened. So am not sure if I'm now subscribed, but I would like to get the newsletter and hope to come to the talking tales event in April.

Chris Fielden
Hi Lindy. Great stuff, glad to hear you're reading the book like a good 'un.

Sorry if you're having trouble with the form. Is that the one on the SCW website? Or my site?

I've checked my email list, and you're subscribed to that. You aren't on the SCW email list, so I have added you to that one. I hope that's OK. Look forward to seeing you in April.