About Hannah

Hannah Retallick is from Anglesey, North Wales. She was home educated, along with her two brothers. Hannah enjoyed writing creatively when she was younger, self-publishing a book at eleven years old; it was about her grandad’s cat and included paintings and sketches by wildlife illustrator, Philip Snow. She chose to voice animal characters, inspired by A.A Milne and Beatrix Potter, because she didn’t feel she knew enough about human nature to do people justice!

Following A Levels, Hannah studied with the Open University, graduating with a First-class honours degree, BA in Humanities with Creative Writing and Music. She has gained a Distinction in her Creative Writing MA with the OU, specialising in short fiction; she spent the second year in Cornwall, which became the setting for her dissertation stories. She is now working on a short story collection and a flash fiction collection. Her favourite modern writers include Jon McGregor, Kazuo Ishiguro, Sally Rooney, Gail Honeyman, and Stephen May.

In 2018, Hannah started to send her work to competitions and publications, and has been published in paperbacks, in e-books, and online.

Courses:

BA (Hons) in Humanities with Creative Writing and Music – The Open University
MA in Creative Writing (Distinction) specialising in short stories – The Open University
Essential Grammar with the Publishing Training Centre

Competition Prizes:

Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction 2024 - First Place
Anglesey Writing Festival Short Story Competition 2022 - First Place
Faversham Literary Festival Short Story Competition 2022 - First Place
Cranked Anvil Press Short Story Competition January 2022 - Second Place
Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2023 - Second Place (paperback)
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition Q3 2023 - Third Place
Crossing the Tees Book Festival Short Story Competition 2020 - Highly Commended
Anansi Archive Flash Fiction Award Autumn 2021 - Highly Commended (eBook/paperback)
Bridport Flash Fiction Prize 2022 - Highly Commended (eBook/paperback)
Anansi Archive Flash Fiction Award Autumn 2022 - Highly Commended

Competition Short-listings:

The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival Writing Awards 2019 (Free anthology eBook)
Cambridge Short Story Prize 2018 (Paperback)
Henshaw Short Story Competition June 2019
Bedford International Writing Competition 2019 (eBook/paperback)
Fish Publishing Short Story Prize 2021
ChipLitFest Short Story Competition 2022
Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize 2022
Henshaw Short Story Competition March 2022
Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction 2023
National Flash Fiction Day Microfiction Competition 2023
Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize 2023
The Plaza Prizes Short Story Competition 2023
Bridport Flash Fiction Prize 2023
Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition 2023

Competition Long-listings:

Fish Publishing Short Story Prize 2021
Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition 2021
Retreat West Flash Fiction Prize 2021
Retreat West Short Story Prize 2021
Bedford International Writing Competition 2021
Reflex Flash Fiction Contest Spring 2022
Exeter Writers Short Story Competition 2022
Brick Lane Short Story Prize 2022
Mslexia Flash Fiction Competition 2022
Retreat West Micro Fiction Prize 2022
Retreat West Flash Fiction Prize 2022
Retreat West Short Story Prize 2022
Cranked Anvil Press Flash Fiction Competition November 2022
Fish Publishing Short Story Prize 2022
Fish Publishing Flash Fiction Prize 2023
Free Flash Fiction Competition April 2023
Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction 2024

Short Story Anthology Publications (multiple authors):

Free Online Publications: