Youtube put a block on the audio but know in your heart of hearts that we were all dancing and waving to Keep On Moving by 5ive at the end.
Hello everyone and welcome to the launch of Sonder Magazine Issue V! We hope you’re all keeping well and are ready for a night of wonderful readings from a very talented bunch.
It’s been a busy year for us here at Sonder. Earlier this year we held the inaugural Panorama Flash Fiction Contest, and were overwhelmed by the response. Thank you so much to everyone who took part, its always a pleasure to get the chance to read your fantastic work. The winning pieces of the competition can be found on our website, linked below. We are delighted to say that the winning piece, Drifting by Cormac Culkeen is featured in this issue, and the man himself will be kicking things off the night.
Earlier this year we were asked yet again by Carol McGill from Morning Coffee to collaborate on our second annual short story competition – we are shocked she hasn’t wanted to get rid of us yet! In doing so, we managed to raise over €1300 for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. For those who aren’t aware of their services, the RCC offer a free, confidential listening and support service for women and men who have been sexually abused at any time in their lives. They also run prevention campaigns. Please do consider donating directly at their website, linked below. The sum raised is of course thanks to everyone who submitted and donated. Your support has meant the world to us all.
Pre-orders for Issue V were run in collaboration with a very special giveaway from Blackwater Writing, a writers resource service offering expert tips and tricks on how to get your writing published. Jamie O’Connell from Blackwater Writing has very kindly agreed to offer one lucky winner a thirty-minute online fiction consultation. Jamie is a bestselling author whose debut novel Diving for Pearls is out now and is linked in the description box below. He is also a creative writing teacher with years of experience. On his instagram and tiktok he offers editorial and writing advice, from writing a cover letter to an agent, to how to avoid typos and so on. He runs workshops and webinars on the regular, so I would really advise having a look at his website if you are a writer, linked below. The giveaway closed on Monday 13th September, and we will announce the winner at the end of the night.
Thank you so much to everyone who pre-ordered, and for watching the launch tonight. We hope you loved it as much as we loved being a part of it. We may sound like a broken record but we really do appreciate getting the chance to showcase the wonderful work of our contributors so thank you so much to everyone for taking part tonight.
If you would like to read more beautiful pieces, you can pre-order Issue V now on our website. It is now also available to purchase in:
- The Winding Stairs
- Marrowbone Books
- Waterstones Cork
We hope you’ve all had a wonderful night and we’ll see you next time.
Order Issue V: https://sonderlit.com/shop-3/pre-orde…
Panorama Flash Fiction Contest 2021 Winners: https://sonderlit.com/2021/08/20/the-…
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre: https://www.drcc.ie/donate/
Blackwater Writing: https://www.blackwaterwriting.com
Diving for Pearls by Jamie O’Connell: https://www.easons.com/Diving-for-Pea…