22 Fictions: New Writing from Desperate Literature & Brick Lane Bookshop
Edited by Kate Ellis and Robert Loyko-Greer
A curated selection drawn from the first five years of two indie bookseller-run projects—Madrid’s Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize and London’s Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize—these 22 Fictions feature Purim celebrations, multiple Stuart Halls, a kidnapping, gender injustice, an aeroplane fleeing a volcano, gender injustice, a chicken shop menu, climate change, a shaved horse, activism, and much besides, all the while roaming from a Cornish farming village to a Paris basement, a hotel bar, an island with a steep hill, a location deep within the internet, a family dinner table and further.
Featuring work from:
Shola Von Reinhold, Leeor Ohayon, Tom Benn, Alice Haworth-Booth, N G F Clark, Danielle Giles, Francesca Reece, Melody Razak, Mariana Roa Oliva, Giovanna Iozzi, Suey Kweon, K. Lockwood Jefford, Katie Hale, Max Lury, Jay Gao, Aoife Inman, Andrea Mason, Aisha Phoenix, Isha Karki, Jack Houston, Siri Katinka Valdez, Rajasree Variyar.
Foreword by Joanna Walsh and an introduction by Wendy Erskine, former judges of the two prizes.
PAPERBACK PUBLISHED ON: 19/06/2025
£15.00
Praise for 22 Fictions
“If 22 Fictions is an argument for the short form, it is winning. A book worth studying.” — Isabel Waidner, Goldsmiths Prize winning author of Sterling Karat Gold and Corey Fah Does Social Mobility
“Bold and emboldening — each story here engages with the form in new and rewarding ways.” — Gurnaik Johal, author of We Move and Saraswati
“Partnering with two of the world’s most forward-thinking booksellers to publish the razor-edge of contemporary writing speaks exactly to the DIY spirit CHEERIO was founded on. A dream.” – Darren Biabowe Barnes, Editorial Director of CHEERIO Publishing
About the editors
Kate Ellis is a writer based in London. Her short fiction has been published in the Open Pen Anthology, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, 100 Voices, and The London Short Story Prize Anthology among others. She runs the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize, hosts the BLB Podcast, works for Inpress Books, and one day might finish writing her short story collection.
Robert Loyko-Greer is a writer based in London, where he works for the publisher Profile Books. He co-founded the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize in 2017.