Sunday Night and Monday Morning is an anthology of short stories from Nottingham writers. The anthology was launched with a number of readings, each demonstrating the diversity of writing styles and story themes throughout Sunday Night and Monday Morning.
Its editor, James Urquhart, has worked in publishing and, to maintain his free book supply, reviews for quality newspapers. James introduces the anthology, an effort to prove that short story anthologies can be well worth the money when editing and submission standards are high. In this it has succeeded; each story read is excellent and perfectly crafted.
The first story is the emotive Flyboats by Nicola Monaghan. It’s set in Paris and about love. Or false love. Or changing love. A beautiful story, full of subtlety yet not overly flowery. Kat Pomfret reads Shorty Long and the Long Long Family Reunion, a tale of identity, social status and reality TV. It’s pointed and biting without being preachy, and also proves a superb character piece.
Jon McGregor reads a story that was originally two. These stories were about “a man who gets stabbed,” a “woman in a blue dress” and, more generally, “people doing stuff.” In the resulting offering, a stabbing seemed a little melodramatic, so the man just gets “knocked about a bit,” comedy genius Jon tells us. The story itself, The First Punch is as dark as its writer is light.
The three readings give a brief glimpse of Sunday Night and Monday Morning. As a book it is part humorous, part tragic and everything in between. It also provides a great introduction to Nottingham writers, new and established.
Sunday Night and Monday Morning is published by Five Leaves Publications. The Sunday Night and Monday Morning readings took place at NTU on 12 December 2005.
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