Dec 15 2010 10:30AM
In the summer of 2009, a group of UCS English Students embarked on a mission to get their book of short stories published. Fast-forward a year and ‘Baby Shoes’ has landed on the bookshelves.
‘Baby Shoes’, an anthology of 18 Short Stories, was written by students for students as part of ‘The Short Story’ module on the BA (Hons) English degree course at UCS. The group of students were so pleased with the work produced that they decided to try and get their work published into a book of short stories.
The group of final year English students, led by editors Chantelle Chapman and Jason Last, have managed the entire process from start to finish themselves, from writing, collating, editing and publishing of the book. The students were also heavily involved in the design of the book which features stories varying from comedy, drama and even sci-fi. The book has been solely funded by the UCS School of Arts and Humanities, registering the School as a publishing house.
The title of the book was chosen in homage to Ernest Hemingway, the king of short stories, who wrote a novel featuring the line ‘For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn’. The title ‘Baby Shoes’ is also reflective of the learning experiences and the journey taken by the students who have produced the book.
Chantelle Chapman, said: “Although the process has been tough and has involved a lot of hard work, it has also been very exciting and a great experience.”
Jason Last, added: “I am proud to say that I am now a publisher, an editor and an author. I have gained lots of valuable experience along the way.”
To date, 200 copies of the book have been ordered. Although the book is not available to the wider public yet, the editors are currently engaged in creating a website in order to publish the stories online and if interest is strong enough, anyone will be able to order the book in the future from the British Library.