Alison Wells Author

Fantastic news: September publication of my debut short story collection!

Readers of the Head above Water blog will have followed my story since 2009 of writing endeavours, resilience and persistence, shortlists and near misses. I have written alongside raising a family, challenging circumstances, a new job in public libraries and a Masters by night in Library and Information Science.

I am really thrilled to announce that independent Galway publishers WordsontheStreet established in 2006 by writers Geradine Burke and Tony O’ Dwyer will publish my debut short story collection Random Acts of Optimism this September! Ger and Tony have long supported my writing and the work of many writers in Ireland and internationally through publication in their well-regarded literary magazine Crannóg.

Random Acts of Optimism consists of 15 stories revolving around the protagonist’s acts of optimism in the face of life challenges from the humdrum to touching, to the more sinister and dramatic: the age old story of the plumber who doesn’t show up, zest for life in the face of a cancer diagnosis or prejudice, an elderly couple ridding an island of inconvenient dinosaurs, an astronaut who finds meaning in a cup of tea and family on his return home. These stories range from poignant to laugh out loud and are the result of these years of Head above Water endeavour – my blog title depicting how we write alongside life and our own self-doubts. One of the stories was shortlisted for the Hennessy Award in 2009 – a standout memory in my validation as a writer, another shortlisted for the high profile Bridport Prize – both moments that brought tears of delight. The title story and first in Random Acts of Optimism was inspired by the starkly unusual and poignant situation in my experience as a public librarian in sending out books and organising supplies from an empty locked down library for people ‘cocooning’ during the Covid 19 pandemic.

I would like to thank all of you who followed the blog and engaged with me since 2009, my online writing community and real-life writing group and family and friends who have been cheerleaders and practical supporters throughout the years and of course my publishers Ger and Tony who have stuck with me. When I attended my first Crannóg launch, my children were all tiny and we hired a babysitter in Galway, now they are between 22 and 15 years of age. Persistence can pay off!

Book launch

The book will be launched on 20th September at 6.30pm in the magnificent Lexicon Library Dun Laoghaire and I hope many of you can join me there. You will know how much this means to me and I would love to celebrate with you either in person or through correspondence and message. More details of the launch to follow!

More about Random Acts of Optimism

I have been really privileged to receive some fantastic feedback for my book cover from wonderful Irish writers including veteran short story writer Billy O’ Callaghan whose new novel The Paper Man has just been published to wide acclaim, award-winning writer Niamh Boyce, author of The Herbalist and Her Kind, Alan McMonagle, highly-regarded author of Ithaca and Laura Cassidy’s Walk of Fame and Madeleine D’Arcy whose book Liberty Terrace is Cork City Libraries One City, One Book 2023.

“A genuinely marvellous collection. There’s a crystalline quality to the
prose that at times dazzles and at others leaves you gasping for breath, but more than anything it’s the compulsive nature of the storytelling that will have readers unable to put this collection down. Alison Wells, a very fine writer and clearly one who has honed her craft to mastery, deserves a broad and enthusiastic audience. Random Acts of Optimism ought to do the trick.” Billy O’Callaghan, author of Life Sentences

“There’s an incredibly sensual precision to Wells’ sentences – nobody writes like Alison Wells – her stories sizzle, she’s an unsentimental yet
compassionate documenter of humanity, whose stories are never what you might expect. She has an unusual and imaginative approach, a wide range, and a canny wisdom. The tragic and comic are not just juxtaposed, they wrap around each other – Wells is a unique voice, and this collection is one to treasure. Fans of the work of Lorrie Moore and Lucia Berlin will love this collection.”
Niamh Boyce, Award Winning Author of The Herbalist and Her Kind

“Random Acts of Optimism by Alison Wells is a lively, highly imaginative
and delightful collection of short fiction. This book contains a breath-taking range of subject matter and themes. A librarian and an elderly person form a bond during lockdown. There are ghosts. There are problems with plumbers. There are dinosaurs on the Isle of Wight. There is a story written from the point of view of a letter. There are stars, meringues, memories in jars, a spaceman. Most of all, there are people, trying to cope with life and all its travails. At times tender and thought-provoking, by turns humorous and bleak, this cornucopia of tales is truly a pleasure to read.”
Madeleine D’Arcy, Author of Waiting for the Bullet and Liberty Terrace

Playful and poignant paeans to the uncertain and arbitrary times we live in,here are stories that read like shards of endurance, of defiance to the wax and wane of life. A courageous, inventive, and rewarding collection.”
Alan McMonagle, author of Ithaca and Laura Cassidy’s Walk of Fame

Available to order from your local bookshop, from Wordsonthestreet publisher, from Barnes and Noble and other online outlets.