Winner of University of Chichester audio story competition announced
THE University of Chichester is delighted to announce that its alumni student Tracy Fells has won the Audio Short Story Award for her story Vector.
Tracy’s reward for winning the contest – an exclusive collaboration between its Creative Writing and Theatre students – is to see her story produced as an audio project by Max Pearson, the project’s winning voice artist.
She said: ‘Winning any short story competition is wonderful news, more so with a story you love as the accolade is an endorsement of your work, making all those battles with the creative demons worthwhile. Winning this particular competition also means my words will be read and brought to life by an actor and that is a truly special moment in my writing career.’
Tracy Fells was awarded an MA with Distinction in Creative Writing in 2016. She has won many prizes for her short fiction and has been widely published in print journals and online. Tracy also writes novels and was a finalist in the 2018 Richard & Judy ‘Search for a Bestseller’ competition. Her debut novella-in-flash ‘Hairy on the Inside’ is being published by Ad Hoc Fiction in 2021.
The competition was judged by Karen Stevens, Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, and Melanie Whipman, Commissioning Editor of The Story Player, which broadcasts stories by writers from around the world. Tracy’s story impressed both judges, who said that Max also produced a standout entry, based on the quality of his interpretation, acting ability, and production skills.
Karen and Melanie said they felt privileged to read such diverse, imaginative, and surprising entries from the university’s Creative Writing and Theatre students.
Max Pearson, (above), a current undergraduate student on the Drama, Theatre and Directing Degree said: “It’s been wonderful to work on this project and has been a fantastic learning experience in audio recording and editing. I want to thank James Peachey-Baker and everyone on my Drama, Theatre and Directing course for their feedback on the draft recordings, which helped make the final version the best it could possibly be. I’d also like to thank Melanie and Karen for this great opportunity.”
Senior Lecturer in Theatre James Peachey-Baker added: “It’s been an incredibly exciting opportunity for our students to be involved with this project. It’s been useful for them in procuring new skills and allowing the cohort to hone their voiceover/storytelling technique. I hope this to be the start of many more cross-departmental projects.”
Listen to Tracy’s story ‘Vector’ on The Story Player, alongside the best up and coming UK writing talent, as well as translated fiction from around the world at www.thestoryplayer.com/vector-by-tracy-fells.
