(Congratulations to the authors of Keyhole Stories, and thanks for a superbly well-organized and professional release party last night.  Well done to each and every one of you.)

Fifteen of my former students from Skrivarakademin in Stockholm are releasing their jointly written story cycle this Saturday the 7th of November downstairs at Folkuniversitetet between three and six p.m.   The project is called Keyhole Stories and is the result of nearly a year’s worth of hard work and fun.  The group has not only invented a common concept and chronotope; they’ve also created their 3d_book_cover_largeown publishing company, which has given them valuable experience in the nitty-gritty, day-to-day grind of the world of letters: communicating with authors, dealing with contracts and finances, editing and asking for re-writes, proofreading, negotiating with printers, nail-biting while waiting for delivery, etc.  I’ve led many groups through this process, but this time I took a step back and let them do most everything on their own.  And they did.

My ultimate goal in introducing these writers to this way of working was to plant the seeds of what I dream will someday become a small-press English-language publishing boom here in Stockholm, providing opportunities for local writers in English, and helping stories that need to be written and read find their way into the world.  I’m proud of everyone who’s been involved in this project.

The release party is free and open to the public.  Hope to see you there.

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From the press release: 

Keyhole Stories is the collaborative effort of fifteen writers. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but what we have in common is the experience of living in Stockholm, and an interest in writing fiction.

The setting of the stories take place in an old rental building on the island of Södermalm in central Stockholm. Catch a glimpse of a young boy at play in Sandra Jabre’s Viktor the Great, human trafficking and prostitution with Björn Rudberg, and the need for belonging with Jon Kahn. Spy on gangsters and villains from Andrés Miñarro and Vilhelm Gard, see what a smartphone will bring home with Avelino Benavides, and witness friendship and unrequited love with Emily Aisling Hall. There are elderly neighbours to watch over in two stories from Simon Linter and Matthew Corke, and the reflection of a suicide from Tove Backhammar. Witness finding a friend in food with Eva Wissting, dressing up with Claudia E. Bernal, Jay Wong’s playboy and morality adventure, and immigration and moving with the times from Andrew MacPherson and Tanis Bestland.

The question is… How well do you know your neighbour?