Best British Short Stories 2023

Nicholas Royle, the author of the book-collecting memoir White Spines, is also a great champion of the short story. At his Nightjar Press he publishes well-designed pamphlets of a single story each, including many in the strange, uncanny or enigmatic field. This month sees the publication of four new titles: Snowdrops by Cliff McNish; The Little Ghost by Giselle Leeb; The Judgement by Tim Cooke; and Signals by Amanda Huggins.

In another role, he is also the editor of an annual short story anthology and Salt Publishing have recently published Best British Short Stories 2023. This includes my one thousand words short story ‘Qx’, first published online in Soanyway, Volume 2 Issue Eleven, edited by Derek Horton and Gertrude Gibbons. The Salt book is its first print publication.

The volume offers twenty stories, chosen from journals, anthologies, collections, chapbooks and online. It includes a story by the late David Wheldon, the author of the haunting allegorical novels The Viaduct and The Course of Instruction (and of The Automaton from Nightjar, 2017); and a work by AK Blakemore, that pays tribute to the Cornwall-based mystic, artist and antiquarian Ithell Colquhoun.

Until 19 December, Salt are offering 15% off all their books ordered through their website and using discount code 14D8BSR85BNY.

(Mark Valentine)