“Small Wonder Short Story Festival” at Charleston Firle, near Lewes, Sussex

http://www.charleston.org.uk

Charleston, the country home of the Bloomsbury Group, is now the home of the "Small Wonder Short Story Festival", celebrating and promoting the short story, loved by many, but yet to find mass appeal.  This year the festival takes place from the 15th to 18th September, inclusive.  Deatils of the festival, the events and how to book, can be found here:

http://www.charleston.org.uk/smallwonder/

So what's the crime fiction connection on this one?

On Thursday the 15th of September you can pay £8 to attend "Private Eye", where none other than Ian Rankin will be talking about what motivates him to write short stories.  Rankin's "Complete Short Stories" was published in hardback in the UK in June 2005.  The paperback is due out in November 2005.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752869345/qid=1125777202/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_18_1/202-1393093-8955822

Taking some time out from Rebus this year, Rankin's next book for publicaton is "Rebus's Scotland - A Personal Journey", due to hit the shelves on the 15th of September.  This a journey through places in Scotland of meaning to Rankin and his fictional Rebus.  Rankin provides the words for the book and the photographs are provided by the same team that produce his book covers. 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752852450/ref=pd_bxgy_img_2_cp/202-1393093-8955822

Other authors at "Small Wonder" include: Tobias Hill; Lynne Truss; William Boyd; Mick Jackson; Rose Tremain; Zadie Smith, plus more.

For those interested in writing, there is a two day workshop covering the 15th and 16th run by Tobias Hill and Rachel Seiffert, plus you can get a free 15 minute feedback on your own short story work from The Open University's Creative Writing Tutor, Jan Morrison-Campbell, in the "Small Wonder Short Story Surgery" on the 17th and 18th.

So, if you like the short story, this is the place for you.