Book of Witty Women
This anthology showcases the very best in humorous short story writing, by outstanding contemporary women writers, including Kathy Lette, Sadia Azmat, Lucy Vine, Josie Long, Paula Lennon, and many more.
It includes the winning and shortlisted stories from the Comedy Women in Print Short Story Prize.
From tales of a narcoleptic biscuit lover, con artists with a twist, and the accidental death of a hamster; to consequences of accidental gluing, the imagined world of extreme shopping, and the delightfully surreal world of canine dating, these 15 boldly imaginative stories range across a multitude of genres and themes.
Each proves the power of the short story to disarm, tickle or simply entertain.
Helen Lederer is a writer, actress, comedian, and presenter. Her comedy novel Losing It was nominated for the PG Wodehouse Comedy Literary award. Helen set up the Comedy Women in Print award because she wanted to shine a light on witty women writers.
Kathy Lette has written 20 books, including 14 best-selling novels, the first of which was Puberty Blues and the latest of which is Till Death – or a little light maiming – Do Us Part. She is published in over 17 languages. Her books have been made into films, TV series and an opera. She also works as a TV presenter and a travel writer.
Sadia Azmat is a British stand-up comedian, writer and published author of Sex Bomb. In 2018 Sadia launched her critically acclaimed BBC podcast ‘No Country For Young Women’ which was named as one of the ‘Best Audio 2018’ by the Observer and Apple’s Top picks 2018.
Josie Long is a writer and a stand-up comedian. She won the Best Newcomer award at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has been nominated three times for Best Show. She was born in Kent in 1982 and studied English at Oxford University. She currently lives in Glasgow.
Lucy Vine is the best-selling author of Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet?, Bad Choices, and Seven Exes. Her books have been bought in 17 territories and optioned for TV/film.
Paula Lennon writes in multiple genres including contemporary crime, historical fiction, and magical realism. She was longlisted for the Historical Writers Association/Sharpe Books Unpublished Novel Award, and was a finalist in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Book Competition. Her Jamaican detective trilogy is published by Joffe Books.