A Small, Good Thing
A Small, Good Thing
Podcast Description
"A Small, Good Thing" is a podcast about short fiction. In every episode, I get to discuss the short story form with writers, academics, publishers, and anyone who shares a passion for short stories.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores themes around short fiction, including publishing challenges, writing techniques, and the cultural significance of short stories. Episodes feature discussions on specific works by authors such as John Cheever and Yiyun Li, as well as insights into initiatives like short story competitions. Additionally, it touches upon the evolution of narrative styles and engages with the academic perspectives on storytelling.
“A Small, Good Thing” is a podcast about short fiction. In every episode, I get to discuss the short story form with writers, academics, publishers, and anyone who shares a passion for short stories.
Nicholas Royle is a short story writer, a novel writer, the editor of the Best British Short Stories series. In this episode, I get to chat with him about his latest collection of short stories, Paris Fantastique (Confingo), and about his passion for second-hand books. Nicholas is also the founder of Nighjar Press, which publishes individual short stories as limited-edition chapbooks. Listen to find out more!
Works mentioned:
Nicholas Royle, Paris Fantastique (Confingo Publishing, 2025).
Nicholas Royle, Manchester Uncanny (Confingo Publishing, 2022).
Nicholas Royle, London Gothic (Confingo Publishing, 2020).
Nicholas Royle, Antwerp (Serpent’s Tail, 2005).
Nicholas Royle (editor), The Best British Short Stories 2025 (Salt, 2025).
Nicholas Royle, White Spines: Confessions of a Book Collector (Salt, 2021).
Nicholas Royle, Shadow Lines: Searching for the Book beyond the Shelf (Salt, 2024).
C. D. Rose, ‘I’m in Love with a German Film Star’, in Walter Benjamin Stares at the Sea, (Melville House, 2024).
Joel Lane, The Foggy, Foggy Dew (1986).
Alberto Manguel (editor), Black Water: An Anthology of Fantastic Literature (Picador, 1983).
Shelley Jackson, The Melancholy of Anatomy (Anchor Books, 2002).
Jamaica Kincaid, ‘Blackness’, in At the Bottom of the River (Picador, 1984).
Confingo publishing: PARIS FANTASTIQUE by Nicholas Royle | confingo
Podcast intro and outro credits: Shield, Leroy, Taylor Holmes, and Robert W Service. The shooting of Dan McGrew. 1923. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
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