Laurane Marchive was highly commended in the Life Writing Prize 2020 with For the Flesh is Sour. She wins £500, a writing mentor, and development meetings with an agent and editor. Laurane lives in London. Her work has appeared in The London Magazine, The Mechanics’ Institute Review, Review 31 and the TLS. Laurane is a past winner of the French Escales des Lettres. She was recently longlisted for the BBC Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Spread the Word Life Writing Prize 2019 and the London Short Story Prize 2020. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck. She also runs a circus.
Life Writing Prize judge Kerry Hudson said: “Structurally complex, elegant and extremely beautifully written, this story stood out for all of us with its skilfully written prose and extremely impressive ability to conjure setting. I was particularly impressed with the narrative’s ability to turn more familiar themes on their heads and to make us think differently about universal experiences.”
Spread the Word’s Laura Kenwright interviewed Laurane during lockdown in May 2020, which you can see here. Laurane reads a short, brilliant extract from her highly commended piece. Please note that this reading contains graphic sexual references.
Michelle Wood provides BSL Interpretation, and the video is also subtitled.
Published 3 June 2020