Tania Hershman

Tania Hershman is a former science journalist.

Commended by the judges of the 2009 Orange Award for New Writers, her short story collection, The White Road and Other Stories, is published by Salt.

She is the founder and editor of The Short Review, and incoming fiction editor of Southword.

Last week I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:

I've just finished reading Sean Lovelace's How Some People Like Their Eggs, a slim chapbook of flash fiction published by the excellent Rose Metal Press. I love flash fiction, short short stories of only a few pages which, when done well - and here they really are done well - make you wonder why anyone ever needs to take 250 pages to tell a story. Lovelace's imagination knows no bounds, his stories are tragi-comic and they leave an impression that does not fade. I read this collection for review for The Short Review, the journal I edit, I find many new favourite writers this way!

The next book I am reading for review is Freedom, an anthology of short stories published by Amnesty International to commemorate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Each short story, many by big names, is inspired by one of the articles of the declaration. As you can imagine, it's not a quick or cheery read, but some of the stories are stunning and deeply moving. The ones that speak to me the most are those that approach the issue from the side, not head on, such as A L Kennedy's. But that's just my taste. That's the beauty of reading an anthology, there's something for everybody.

And, for something completely different, I read Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, by evolutionary biologist Olivia Judson, and was bowled over! In the guise of giving sex advice to a myriad of different creatures, Judson teaches us about the weird and wonderful world around us, including the often barbaric mating habits of animals and insects. I was both enthralled and reading it out to my partner and often horrified! I only got half way through the book and then had to take it back to the library, but it is a fascinating and enlightening read. Highly recommended.

Visit Tania Hershman's website and blog.

Salt, the publishers of The White Road and Other Stories, have made the book available at a special 30% discount from their online shop at www.saltpublishing.com. Visit the book's page on the site, then enter the code GM18py7n when checking out.

--Marshal Zeringue