STROUD Short Stories returns from its sell-out fifth birthday celebration at October’s Cheltenham Literature Festival to celebrate its 13th short story event back home at the SVA in Stroud with 'The Apocalypse Alphabet' on Sunday, November 20.

And on this occasion eight of the 10 authors reading are new to Stroud Short Stories.

One is Nastasya Parker, an expat American living in Dursley, whose apposite and topical story ‘The Apocalypse Alphabet’ gives its title to the evening’s event.

The evening will showcase a huge range of writing styles and subject matter, including stories about milk men, wigs, a market in Thailand, a desperate supermarket thief and a letter of complaint about boiled sweets. As always there is humour as well as beauty and poignancy.

SSS organiser John Holland said: “I really enjoyed choosing seven of my favourite stories to showcase our writers in Cheltenham. But it’s great to be back home at the SVA in Stroud. That’s where the magic happens.

“It was a thrill too on this occasion to judge with short story writer Debbie Young for the first time. The judging duties are both arduous and huge fun.”

  •  Doors open 7.30pm. Starts 8pm. Tickets are £7 and are available online in advance only at sva.org.uk/booking