Writer and literary blogger, Gemma Seltzer will bring her Speak to Strangers project to Birmingham as part of this year’s Birmingham Book Festival.
Originally conceived as a daily fiction blog in London, Speak to Strangers is a collection of a hundred, 100-word stories with each taking inspiration from a random encounter with a stranger. Described by comedian Josie Long as “evocative miniature masterpieces”, it was published by Penned in the Margins earlier this year.
Gemma will now bring the concept to Birmingham and will be publishing 12 100-word stories from 12-15 October on her dedicated website.
Gemma Seltzer said: “Birmingham is a vibrant modern city with a proud history, and I can’t wait to explore it and meet new people. I hope this work will in some way capture the uniqueness of the city and the people in it; it’s both an exciting and daunting prospect.
“I’d also encourage others to get involved: to read the work, let me know what they think and, perhaps, write their own 100-word piece to go alongside mine.”
To celebrate the end of the project, Gemma will read her stories and share her experiences of speaking to strangers in an event at the Birmingham Central Library at 4pm on the 15 October at the Festival Bookshop.
