It all started with Chudleigh Phoenix, a monthly
community magazine written by and for the people of Chudleigh in Devon. Since October 2009, the Phoenix has been edited
and published by Kate McCormick and Sharon Cook. Originally a bimonthly, by March 2012, we had grown from 4 pages to
10 - and every issue was bursting at the seams with news and views from Chudleigh. From April 2012, the Phoenix became
monthly - and now we have 6 pages per issue (or 12 every two months - we're still growing!).
Our main distribution
channel is currently electronic (either via email or
on the site); a small number of hard-copies are produced each time, courtesy of Chudleigh Town Council - these are snapped up very
quickly. The December 2012 issue will be produced as a paper version and delivered free of charge to every house in Chudleigh.
From Small Beginnings...Our annual
short story competition was launched in August 2010. It is open to all writers, published or unpublished, anywhere in
the world. There are three main prizes (£100, £50 and £25) plus a special prize for the best local entry
(£25). Winners are announced in the April issue of Chudleigh Phoenix. Winners of the 2011 and 2012 competitions
can be found
here. The
2013 competition has now closed. The results will be announced and the winning entries published on this site on 15th April 2013.
The Next Step...In July 2011, we set up Chudleigh Phoenix Publications.
Our first anthology of short stories
Life is Not a Trifling Affair was launched at the Chudleigh Literary Festival on 13th July. We're very proud of our new baby and hope it will
be the first of many. Details and purchase information can be found on this site. In January 2012, we took a step further
and published
Trifles as an ebook. It is available on Amazon for Kindle.
Our second anthology
Life is Not a Bed of Roses was launched at the pre-Christmas book fair in Chudleigh Town Hall on Friday 23rd November 2012.
In
between writing and publishing fiction, we published a how-to book on running a successful summer party.
Sunshine and Sausages grew out of more than twenty years experience and provides some great tips to make sure you enjoy your party
as much as your guests do.
Our latest publication is a collection of short stories, flash fiction and memoirs
by Elizabeth Ducie entitled
Parcels in the Rain and Other Writing.
