FFF Competition Twenty-Six Judge’s Report by Joanna Miller

 

19th March 2025

 

Thank you to Ian Rushton and his team for longlisting the entries and giving me the chance to judge them, and to all the storytellers for the privilege of being able to read your work. Receiving the fifteen longlisted stories was like being gifted a box of fine chocolates, a wonderful assortment. After several readings, I selected the stories that worked best for me, those I could empathise with, where the characters came to life, stepping off the page, those that lingered, and those that had a beginning, a middle, and, importantly, an end that grew out of the story. I enjoyed reading them all. After much deliberation, these are the ones I finally settled on:

 

SHORTLISTED

 

Yes, The River Knows

 

The lyrical repetition in this piece carries the story through from beginning to end. I liked how the piece unfolded and found it very atmospheric, creating a world that stayed in my mind: the changing seasons that brought canoes laden with pelts, the bulging nets and lingering woodsmoke, the men and the great rains. I also enjoyed the personification of the river, so she became a character, too, delivering life, love, protection and justice.

 

When Life Throws You Rugby Balls

 

Funny but touching, this story explores the relationship between a father and son and their disappointment in each other. The descriptions sum up their feelings beautifully, for example, the ‘avalanche of expectations’ and ‘the trudge of heavy feet’. I particularly liked the phrases that combined humour and sadness; ‘balls which keep coming gift-wrapped in resentment and reproach’. The boy’s character arc is compelling and provides a satisfying ending to the piece.

 

Shades of Clotilde

 

This story focuses on three paintings by Joaquin Sorolla. I wasn’t familiar with the artist, so discovering his work was a bonus. The piece started to haunt me when I looked up the paintings, and the images and descriptions came together as a love story, a tale of a shared life, a growing relationship, and a woman's strength. The title captures the essence of the story with the theme of shade, light and darkness running throughout the piece. I thought the last line was perfect; in my imagination, they had reached joint immortality, knowing that ‘her gaze will watch over this man and his legacy long after he has put down his brush.’

 

HIGHLY COMMENDED

 

Lunch Date

 

This story grabbed me when I first read it and grew on me with each subsequent reading. So much to enjoy, the humour, the characters who came to life even if they were just names – Wanky Wayne, Catface, Eggie and her Mum and Dad. The writing style feels like an outpouring of teenage angst, and the story captures the situation in a light-hearted but moving way. I loved the opening, ‘I’m wrapped up warm in the café’s meaty breath and Dad’s hey-there! hug’, and the description of Catface when she ‘wink-winks back and bounces off with her big jelly boobs’. As the story progressed and the lunch date deteriorated, I rooted for the protagonist, sympathised with her problems and was so glad when she walked out on her dad.

 

The Edge

 

What a wonderful piece this is. An unfolding story of a relationship’s ups and downs, love, near loss and coming back from the edge. It really resonated with me and was a delight to read. The images are powerful, and I liked the recurrent theme of things falling off the edge: ‘a hillock of beans slipping over the edge of charred toast’, words that ricochet ‘like pebbles bouncing down a cliff’, the ‘paper mountain avalanching’ across the desk, and the ‘scree pitter-pattering down to deep waters’. Again, it uses repetition to build rhythm and take the piece forward. I also loved the mention of Flamborough Head – the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. The ending, too, felt just right. This is a story I could read again and again. Beautiful.

 

WINNER

 

Yes, Pumpernickel makes a Wonderful Wedding Present

 

This story was in my top three from the first reading—a hilarious tale of revenge. I enjoyed how it’s structured, from the Planning stage to the Delivery and More. The use of the second-person narrative drew me in. The satirical detail is very clever: ‘earth-mother earrings, vegan-friendly clogs’ and the dusting of ‘Peach Reaper chilli powder’. Above all, the humour in each paragraph had me cackling out loud every time I read it, making it my winner. How sweet revenge can be, especially when delivered ‘Peckham-style’ and ultimately turned into something as creative and uplifting as the ‘Self-Raising Sisterhood’. Brilliant.

 

Congratulations everyone!

Joanna Miller