Posted on July 16th, 2008 by niki
29 Ways to Drown was recently reviewed in Issue 9 of the online book site The Short Review. I also did an author interview. Go read and let me know what you think.
TSR: How did you choose which stories to include and in what order?
NA: For 29 Ways to Drown, I chose stories that dealt with unhappy relationships – of being in that place where everything feels bleak and hopeless. It became clear that my earlier efforts seemed to be populated by characters who felt as if they were drowning, both figuratively and in a few cases literally. I decided these ‘problem children’ were the ones I wanted to address. I wanted to unravel their complicated lives, find out why they felt so trapped, and help them find solutions. I inserted lifelines here and there, little shots of espresso-sized optimism. It didn’t always work. Sometimes they perished despite my best efforts. As usual, it is all about the struggle.
Read more here…
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Posted on June 17th, 2008 by niki
I won the View From Here Magazine first line competition. Check out my winning entry.
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Posted on May 29th, 2008 by niki
I’m featured as the most recent writer on Eric Forbes’ blog. Eric is a book editor who has thus far interviewed six long-listed writers for the Frank O’Connor Award. Great website, so check it out.
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Posted on May 28th, 2008 by niki
Wednesday, 11th June
LOOSE MUSE
Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street
London WC2 (closest tube = Covent Garden)
London’s only regular event for women writers of all genres, with an open mike sharing session, plus two featured writers each month. June will be poet and artist, Valeria Melchioretto, reading from her new book. Also featuring will be Niki Aguirre, reading from her collection of short stories. Special Guest for June, from Brisbane, Australia, will be Punk Poetess, Stefanie Petrik. The night starts at 8.00 p.m - £5.00/£3.00 concs.
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Posted on May 28th, 2008 by niki
7 Fest - The Foundation
Celebrating 7 years of Flipped Eye
Poetry Cafe
June 4, 2008
I will be at the Poetry Cafe on JUNE 4, celebrating the 7th anniversary of my publisher Flipped Eye. It is an all day, 11 hour marathon extravaganza and a chance to listen to stories, author talks, book signings and poetry readings from some very talented folks. I’ll be reading from 29 Ways to Drown at FICTION UNLEASHED (21.20-22.50) sharing the spotlight with three other writers.
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Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Niki
The SUN reviewed my book today under the Something for the Weekend section. Here’s what they said:
9.05.08
“This debut novel is a collection of short stories which is perfect to dip in and out of at your leisure. Each tale takes us to a different country, spanning London to America. Along the way we meet a beautiful woman trapped in a marriage because her husband is so determined that money is the only thing of importance, a man who is at his happiest in his shed writing a story he knows he will never finish and a woman who is terrified of the rain after a traumatic experience during her childhood. Aguirre has an amazing imagination and each story is individual and thought-provoking. This collection of tales is perfect bedtime fodder.”
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Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Niki
The longlist for the 2008 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award was announced earlier this week. The 35,000 Euro prize is currently the world’s richest for the short story. Last year the prize went to Miranda July for No One Belongs Here More Than You. I am happy to say that this year an unprecedented 14 British books made the list, including my own 29 Ways to Drown!
I wish all my fellow writers lots of luck and I’m hopeful this says a lot about the future of the short story in the UK. The entire longlist can be found on the Frank O’Connor site.
Britain (14 authors)
Torc James Waddington (Ogo Press)
The Loudest Sound and Nothing Clare Wigfall (Faber)
29 Ways to Drown Niki Aguirre (Flipped Eye Publishing)
Little Marvel Wendy Perriam (Robert Hale Limited)
Aroma Bingo David Gaffney (Salt Publishing)
Some New Ambush Carys Davies (Salt Publishing)
Balancing on the Edge of the World Elizabeth Baines (Salt Publishing)
Broken Things Padrika Tarrant (Salt Publishing)
Searching Glance Linda Cracknell (Salt Publishing)
The I Love You Book William Guy (Salt Publishing)
Vanessa Gebbie Words From a Glass Bubble (Salt Publishing)
Body Parts: The Anatomy of Love Richard Bardsley (Salt Publishing)
Tiny Deaths Robert Shearman (Comma Press)
Instruction Manual for Swallowing Adam Marek (Comma Press)
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Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Niki
Monday 12 May, 6.30-8.15 pm,
RADA Foyer Bar, Malet Street,
London WC1E 7JN
Readings and Q&A to celebrate the publication of books by three Birkbeck Creative Writing MA alumni: 29 Ways to Drown by Niki Aguirre, Out of a Clear Sky by Sally Hinchcliffe, and Estrella Damn by Matthew Loukes. Q&A facilitated by Julia Bell.
Admission is free of charge, but with a suggested donation to Oxfam of £3.50.
To reserve places in advance, email writloud@aol.co.uk.
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Posted on May 1st, 2008 by Niki
14 May 2008
As part of Get London Reading, I will be at Sutton Central Library reading from my collection of short fiction 29 Ways to Drown. There will be a Q & A session after and a chance to purchase the book. If you are in the area, come along and say hello.
Venue: Sutton Central Library
Time: Wednesday, 14 May at 7:00pm
Admission: Free
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Posted on May 1st, 2008 by Niki
My reading at the International Pen: Free the Word! event went really well. I read an extract from Language of Trees (29 Ways to Drown). International Futures was MC’ed by the wonderfully punctual and poetic Nii Parkes. There were some great events and readings over the weekend. I had a chance to meet Francisco Goldman, author of The Art of Political Murder: who killed the Bishop? I first read Goldman’s Night of the Long White Chickens at uni(!) so it was a pleasure to chat to him.
Salman Rushdie finished off the festival and was captivating, both in terms of extracts from his new novel The Enchantress of Florence and in the interview with Lisa Appignanesi.
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