Sonya Moor
French and British writer of short fiction
Sonya Moor writes, reads and translates short fiction. She has a B.A. in Art History from the Courtauld Institute of Art and an M.A. in Creative Writing from Manchester Metropolitan University. She lives and works in Paris.
Publications
The Comet and Other Stories by Confingo
out now | order here
A circus performer dreams a life more ordinary. An artist’s model steps out of pose. An international stateswoman lets down her hair. And a young mother nurtures bloodlust.
The female protagonists of these short stories emerge from master artworks, newsreels, mother-in-law jokes, music videos… Whether setting out from Greenwich Village backstreets, Paris pavements or Home Counties lawns they make their choices, weighing risk against opportunity, as they set about the messy business of becoming themselves.
By turns tender, playful, provocative and poignant, these are stories of people ready to disrupt, subvert, reinvent and transcend the boundaries of their worlds.
The Comet, collected in Best British Short Stories 2022
Salt, ed. Nicholas Royle – Royle runs Nightjar Press, which publishes original short stories as signed, limited-edition chapbooks
A Few Words That Go Up In Smoke,The Letters Page
Vol. 6 | #3 | 21 July 2022 | epistolary story/essay hybrid – subscribe by letter to receive their elegant aerogrammes
Lettre à Simone, adda
Speak OUT! | Issue 2 | 23 May 2022 | epistolary story/essay hybrid
Women’s Business, Silver Apples
Issue 16 | 2021 | short story
The Comet, Cōnfingō 15
Spring 2021 | short story
In Conversation with Ana Mendieta, Juxta Press
Juxta/Position(s) | 17 March 2021 | short story/essay hybrid
La Grande Odalisque and L’Origine du Monde Speaks, The Bramley
Vol. 1 | 2019 | ekphrastic flash fictions
All Things Bright and Beautiful, anthologised in May You
The Walter Swan Prize Anthology | ed. SJ Bradley | Valley Press | 2018 | short story
Small Pleasures podcast
Great short stories and greatness in the short-story form – discussions with Livi Michael.
Listen on Apple, PodBean, Google or YouTube.
Episode 15: ‘The Crib’ and ‘Journey to Tunis’
by Albertine Sarrazin
Episode 14: ‘Cocky Watchman’
by Ailsa Cox
Episode 13: ‘Control Knobs’ and ‘Finishing Touches’
by Claire-Louise Bennett
Episode 12: ‘Kilometer 101’
by Maxim Osipov
Episode 11: ‘The Shawl’
by Louise Erdrich
Episode 10: ‘Dear Conchi’
by Lucia Berlin, with expert insights from guest Nina Ellis
Episode 9: ‘Five Years Next Sunday’
by Idza Luhumyo
Episode 8: ‘Thurlby’
by Jon McGregor
Episode 7: ‘The Dead Girls’ Class Trip’
by Anna Seghers
Episode 6: ‘Missing Out’
by Leila Aboulela
Episode 5: ‘Death of the Pugilist’
by Daniel Mason
Episode 4: ‘Red Market’
by Sheila Armstrong
Episode 3: ‘Bad Dreams’
by Tessa Hadley
Episode 2: ‘A Walk in the Snow’
by Graham Mort
Episode 1: ‘The Children Stay’
by Alice Munro
News
Keynote speaker with Livi Michael
2023 | ENSFR annual conference
Short Forms in the Classroom, L'Université d'Angers
2023 | Contributor
ENSFR annual conference
2022 | Contributor
A Personal Anthology for Jonathan Gibbs
22 January 2021
Guest reader under pen name P.V. Wolseley
Flash Fiction Night in Armagh County Museum | January 2019
Word foundlings
When I’m out walking, I collect scraps of conversation – anything that charms or troubles my ear, or that leaves behind the scent of a story. Here are some favourites, from the streets of Paris...
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Ton père s’appelait Philippe – si jamais…
Your father’s name was Philippe – if ever…
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Je ne suis pas entièrement contre l’idée des pommes d’amour
I’m not entirely against the idea of toffee apples
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OK – en réponse à « Je t’aime »
OK – in reply to “I love you”
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On est peut-être cons mais on n’est pas des brutes
We may be stupid but we’re not savages
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Un chien ? Ou un bébé ?
A dog? Or a baby?
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Tu n’es pas la seule, ma belle
You’re not the only one, gorgeous
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Ils domptent les requins
They train the sharks
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C’est sympa de passer sous un train – enfin, quand le train est sur un pont
It’s nice to go under a train – when the train’s on a bridge
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Un huitième de fellation
An eighth of a fellatio
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Oui, mais c’est une église Protestante
Yes, but it’s a Protestant church
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Ils n’entendent pas mon accent
They don’t hear my accent
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Le premier dose est gratuit
The first dose is free
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Tous à poil, même le chien
Everyone in their birthday suits, even the dog
Gallery
The ‘making of’ some of my short stories and story/essay hybrids...
Photo credits: Sonya Moor. Copyright ©2022 Sonya Moor. All rights reserved.