September 17, 2012 To celebrate the 2012 Olympics. the BBC National Short Story Award has this year become the BBC International Short Story Award, and Nashville’s Adam Ross is the only U.S. author to make the shortlist. The finalists were announced in a live BBC broadcast on Friday. Ross’s story, “In the Basement,” appears in Ladies and Gentlemen, a short-story collection just released in paperback. “I’m thrilled, of course, but the coolest thing about it is that ‘In the Basement’ is my wife’s favorite story in the collection,” Ross told Chapter 16 in an email.
The Brits clearly take short stories seriously. Aside from the fanfare surrounding the announcement of the finalists, there’s also the matter of the prize—£15,000 to the winner—and the two weeks of air time the BBC is devoting to finalists: all the stories will be read aloud, one each day, by top actors in the U.K.; following the story, the BBC will air an interview with its author. Broadcasts will be available through the BBC as a free download for two weeks following their airing, and The BBC International Short Story Award 2012 Anthology, a collection of the shortlisted stories, will be published on September 30 by Comma Press. To follow the reading series online, click here.
The winner of the BBC International Short Story Award will be announced in a live broadcast on October 2. We’re betting Ross brings home the gold.
To read Chapter 16‘s extensive coverage of Adam Ross, including interviews, reviews, and excerpts, click here. For more updates on Tennessee authors, please visit Chapter 16’s News & Notes page, here.
