A short story written by Chain Valley Bay resident and author M.J.Reidy has been chosen to appear in the Big Issue’s much-coveted fiction edition.
Only 12 short stories made it into the edition, which has become the biggest selling fiction magazine in the country, selected from a pool that included 700 entries.
M.J.Reidy’s winning story, ‘How to Kondo’, sees a runner end a toxic relationship with her boyfriend by adopting the principles of Marie Kondo, taking the philosophy to its most daring limits.
The story also won the KSP Writers Centre Open Fiction Awards in Western Australia in December 2020 judged by Holden Sheppard.
The 2022 Big Issue fiction edition features other notable Australian writers including Mandy Beaumont, Alice Pung and Anna Spargo-Ryan, with the edition judged by Thuy On and Declan Fry.
Reidy’s short stories have also appeared in Elle, the Newcastle Short Story Prize anthology, Voices of Women Monologue Adventures, the ABC and more.
In 2018, she was the winner of Elle magazine’s national short story competition, judged by Hachette, the Wheeler Centre and Zoe Foster Blake.
In 2021, she was awarded a Kill Your Darlings mentorship with Julie Koh and is currently working on a collection of short stories, titled ‘How to Grow your own Boyfriend’.
Reidy said her work combines literary fiction and surrealist humour.
“My work often explores the complexities of human relationships, and the lives of women and their fractured relationships with men.
“My work also explores the quirky, absurd and bizarre moments that make up our lives,” she said.
A resident of Chain Valley Bay North for three years, Reidy said it’s a fantastic place to write.
“My house faces a large reserve, and I’m surrounded by huge river gums and scribbly gums.
“There’s always lots of birds that visit too – lorikeets, rosellas and king parrots and occasionally black cockatoos.
“It’s perfect conditions for me to write in – my mind is often very busy and to work in a place that offers space and solitude really helps my writing process,” she said.
Nicola Riches