Botanical Short Stories

A unique collection of contemporary short stories exploring our deep attachment to flowers and plants and the meanings they hold

From tokens of love to neolithic burial gifts, bridal bouquets to seasonal wreaths, healing potions to artistic masterpieces, flowers and plants have a multitude of meanings and a long and complex relationship with all our lives. They are the stuff of myth, of gods' metamorphoses and the emblems of kings and saints. They brighten our homes and bring joy to our senses, delight us in gardens and countryside, convey our emotions, symbolize new birth and human mortality, and yet are often overlooked as an inspiration for writers of fiction. This collection of contemporary fiction by new, emerging and experienced writers celebrates the world of flowers and plants and the meanings they hold, in twelve intriguing and surprising new short stories.

Born in New Zealand, into a family of florists, Emma Timpany studied botany for two years as part of her undergraduate degree before graduating with a degree in anthropology. She worked as a florist in New Zealand and London, and, after moving to Cornwall, ran a small flower-growing business for five years. Emma's short stories have won three awards including The Society of Authors' Tom-Gallon Trust Award. Her books include The Lost of Syros, longlisted for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize in 2016, and Travelling in the Dark, winner of the Hall and Woodhouse DLF Prize 2019. She co-edited Cornish Short Stories which was shortlisted for a Holyer an Gof Award 2019. She teaches creative writing, mentors emerging writers and works as a ghostwriter for a private autobiography company.