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The A4 Shortlist -
June 2023

I Never Said You Could by Ian Nettleton

The bird hopped broken-legged into the concrete yard and tried to escape and could not and ended up against old feather and bones and leafy things and mulch...

FIRST PRIZE:
The Rea is an Unloved River by Liz Churchill

In our Geography lesson, Miss Perry taught us that Rea meant ‘to run’. In response, it wasn’t clear who started it, we whispered: Rea rabbit, Rea rabbit, Rea-Rea-Rea...

The Riddling Fish by Emily Macdonald

“I see you, girl of the sea,” says the fish and then she starts to sing. Her voice is wet-warbling, mournful but sly knowing...

How May I Help You by Sofie De Smyter

We’re not sure when exactly she cut off her ears. All we know is that they were gone by the end of the day, when she came out of one of the restrooms with an ear in each palm...

Crows by David Micklem

He turns back to the house and I fill the wheelbarrow with the sweepings. I hear the doors shut and I think he’s gone in, but he’s back on the patio, a shotgun in his hands...

The Slug by Daniel Marc Janes

I first saw The Slug at Steph Markson’s leaving drinks. It was the fourth leaving drinks in six weeks. There was a lot of leaving going on. Not least for Steph. She left with The Slug.

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