The BBC National Short Story Award 2016

 FEATURING THE WINNER: 'DISAPPEARANCES' by K.J. ORR

Young garment workers in a Bangladesh factory seek a better life, at a price...

A girl on a deep, dark moor is drawn into a different kind of darkness after a stranger gives her a bunch of flowers...

A retired plastic surgeon, who once served the great and not-so-good of Buenos Aires, finds a new peace when he disguises his identity...

An academic seeks sanctuary in a different rhythm of life... While those who wile away the nights in A&E, unlikely memories and a good sense of the absurd keep the worst at bay...

The characters assembled in this shortlist are all looking for a new start, a chance to escape or change the way they are perceived.

This fantastic panel of judges, chaired by BBC R4’s JENNI MURRAY who also introduces the collection, featured Booker prize winner PAT BARKER, writer KEI MILLER, Literature & Spoken Word Programmer at the Southbank Centre - TED HODGKINSON and DI SPEIRS, Books Editor at BBC Radio.

Johnathan Buckley's 2015 winning story, 'Briar Road', was hailed by Chair of Judges Alan Little as a 'quiet, intriguing mystery [...] a haunting evocation of the tensions between family members at a moment of unbearable loss.' Johnathan joined an impressive alumni from previous sell-out collections, which include submissions from Hilary Mantel, Sarah Hall, Lionel Shriver and Zadie Smith.