From L.A. to rural Ireland, from war-torn Beirut to a windswept Scottish coastline, from the bright lights of the theatre to the dimness of the therapist’s office - these six outstanding and impactful stories seek to explore grief and trauma, new beginnings and hope.

The shortlisted stories have all been chosen for 2021's Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award - the world's richest and most prestigious prize for a single short story. Dubbed the 'equivalent of the Man Booker for the short story' by the Sydney Morning Herald, the winner receives £30,000.

While the stories vary greatly in setting and subject, they are all linked through each author's masterful ability to create an exceptional narrative within just 6,000 words. As judge Yiyun Li put it: ‘the six stories on the shortlist are each a gem: within limited space they give us the wide world with its messiness, complexities, and lives lived both in the deepest isolation and with the deepest connection’.

This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 6 episodes to your Library now.