Tall And True Short Reads

My first "published" writing was an Enid Blyton-Famous Five-style adventure story, Sand Island, in 1972. I wrote the story and illustrated it with coloured Texta markers. My aunt, the only one in our family with a typewriter, typed up the manuscript. And my father helped bind and cover the book. I was ten.

A Good Story is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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Eighteen-year-old Hugo glanced up at the train station clock. It seemed time had stood still, with the minute hand barely moved since he'd last checked. He confirmed the time on his watch and then looked at the departure board, breathing a sigh of relief. His train was running on schedule.

Moving On is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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While sorting through storage boxes at home, I found an old notebook belonging to my son. It wasn't a school exercise book but something he'd jotted and doodled in as a twelve-year-old. Among its random pages was a short story he'd written in 2014 about a father who doesn't have "great ideas".

Trigger warning: This episode mentions teenage self-harm and death.

Lifeline Australia: https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Finding Inspiration is a b...

If you ask me, the Moon is the best object in the night sky. And you don't need an expensive telescope to observe it. A pair of binoculars does the trick. I'm looking at the Moon now, leaning against a wall to steady my hands, and it's a beautiful sight. No wonder it inspires poets and lovers.

The Lonely Moon is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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"In space no one can hear you scream. But what if you're deep in the backwoods, in an isolated cabin on a dead-end trail?" Karen set aside the book. A horror story was not ideal reading for the off-grid log cabin Peter had booked for their thirtieth wedding anniversary weekend, especially as she was alone in bed, listening to wind from a storm whistle through cracks in the doors and windows.

A Knock at the Door is a short story from...

I'm taking a short break from podcasting because I'm going on a long road trip with my son from Sydney to Western Australia to spend Xmas and New Year with our WA family. But as I did in 2022, I've put together a Kris Kringle collection featuring three episodes from the Tall And True Short Reads archive: Too Late, Lenny, Stuck in Time and Family Reflections.

The Kris Kringle - Xmas 2023 stories first appeared on the Tall And Tr...

Cassie lay perfectly still in bed, staring at the shadowy shape on the ceiling overhead. A bulky body and eight legs, a spider, but this wasn't Incy Wincy. It was a huntsman with long hairy legs, needle-sharp fangs, and a jump so powerful that if human, it could win gold at the pole vault without a pole.

In Her Head is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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I discovered microfiction when I reviewed Loopholes by Susan McCreery in 2017. By definition, brevity is the key to good microfiction. The stories in Loopholes range from several paragraphs over one or two pages to only three short sentences. With no room for plot and character development, every word must count.

Tall And True Microfiction Anthology is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robe...

"Roses are red, violets are blue, I spend my day, thinking of you." Davey reviewed the poem in his exercise book. "Thinking" is what you did at school. It wasn't romantic enough to attempt Mission Impossible with the girl of his dreams. That's it! "I spend my day, dreaming of you."

A Better Poem is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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It's only early spring, but I'm starting to sweat in Mum and Dad's back garden. I wore my dark English suit for Dad's funeral, and if etiquette permits at wakes, I'd like to slip off the coat. Looking around the garden for guidance, I struggle to recognise elderly aunts and uncles or my fellow middle-aged cousins. And I have no hope of placing their children and grandchildren.

Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And Tr...

It's a chilly winter morning, and the central heating has barely warmed my flat. I'm rugged up in a jumper and Ugg boots, and the kettle's boiling. There's a knock at the door, and I know who's there without checking the peephole because I've learned to mark events on a calendar to help remember things.

Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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It's a hot summer afternoon, with no sign of the Freo Doctor. Despite the heat, I'm climbing the tree in Gran's backyard with my brothers and boy cousins while our girl cousins chat in a circle in the shade of the back veranda. Like the other boys, I'm in shorts with no shirt or shoes. Our tomboy cousin's up here, too. And though she's wearing a dress, she's also barefoot.

Some Things Change is a short story from the Tall And True w...

Season Four will start with a multi-part, longer short story I wrote in June 2023, Some Things Change, consisting of three vignettes set in different locations and times but with a common thread: a pair of cousins from Perth, Western Australia, exploring Australia's troubled history and relationship with Indigenous peoples.

Tall And True Short Reads is a storytelling podcast featuring short stories, blog posts and other writing from...

I fell in love with live theatre when I saw my first London West End play as a newly-arrived backpacker in 1987. Over the next eight years, living in Brighton and Windsor, I attended countless professional and amateur productions. But I didn't think in 1987 that one day I'd be up on stage, too, taking a bow.

Taking a Bow is a memoir blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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I'm in the middle of a dream, though it might be nearer the beginning or end. Who can tell with dreams? I'm on a rocket, and the final countdown's begun. "10, 9, 8 ..." Then I look down at myself strapped in the seat and see I'm wearing pyjamas. "It's only a dream," I reassure myself.  

My Dreams is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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I was weaned on Wimbledon in Australia. Year after year, I'd stayed up half the night to watch the finals on TV. And here I was in the northern hemisphere, able to witness the match in broad daylight for the first time, with an Aussie in the final, for goodness sake, and Mrs B wasn't interested in tennis!

My Most Memorable Wimbledon (originally titled Wimbledon Lost in Translation) is a travel blog post from the Tall And True writer...

Dylan woke with jackhammers pounding in his head and a tongue so furry it felt like it needed waxing. "Last time," he croaked, rolling onto his back and resolving to quit drinking again or, at least, to stop bingeing. He stared up at the low ceiling of his studio apartment and replayed the office drinks.

Past Demons is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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The brief for October 2021's Furious Fiction was to set the short story in a COURT, include a character who measures something, and the words BALLOON, ROCK and UMBRELLA. So recalling Ernest Hemingway's advice to write one true sentence, I wrote, "The policewoman at the front of the Court is trying to catch my eye."

Writing True Sentences is a blog post from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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Mum's up first, though she doesn't like looking at her reflection nowadays. She splashes her face and turns away from me with a towel. Over her shoulder, I watch Mum gaze out the bathroom window. And when she turns back, Mum's wearing her pained expression again, like she's failed to solve the riddle of life.

Family Reflections is a short story from the Tall And True writers' website, written and narrated by Robert Fairhead.

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