Open Pen – förlag

Thirty-five, P is a woman caught between commitment and chaos; about to upend her current stable life to invoke the tumult of her former, addicted one. Or perhaps just walk into the sea. Good Choices explores the ways in which we try to impose narrative on our lives, for the implied audience always judging.

The Open Pen Anthology Volume Two is a collection of short stories from the last five years of Open Pen Magazine, as well as new fiction from each of the contributing authors. In keeping with the format of Volume One, Open Pen favourites have been invied to contribute microfiction pieces that serve as page breaks. Open Pen's short fiction has been called edgy, brave, and hilarious. Paul Ewen said we are more like a shot of absinthe than a boring pint of lager, and our output has kept its tongue firmly in its cheek for over a decade, debuting many literary talents that have gone on to publish celebrated and popular titles.

Tadhg Muller is the ultimate unreliable narrator. This dark take on autofiction spirals toward madness (leaving for Paris) with the inconsistencies of Muller's plot, whilst maintaining the gravity of what London life is like for an immigrant with no money, no prospects, and never quite enough sense to abandon hope.

Holly Watson tells the tale of a young girl's experience growing up in Coventry in the 1990s. But Nanny Pam's fallen out with Grandad, mum and dad are skint, and Tom, with his beautifully pointy-spike gelled hair, doesn't seem to notice our girl at all.

Every week Robin's Halflings do table top battle. And every week he loses. But when the twin who collects Elves announces the club where they play is closing and their weekly games night is on the verge of being lost forever, the seven friends decide to enter the National Masters Tournament and so immortalise the club name in the national rankings. Will Robin overcome his lifelong losing streak and how much is he prepared to risk to lead his Halfling army to victory?