In January 2024 I was delighted that one of my stories from In Their Absence (Roman Books, 2020) was featured in A Personal Anthology curated by the amazing writer Victoria MacKenzie. A Personal Anthology was founded in 2017 by writer and lecturer Jonathan Gibbs. Each week a guest is invited to pick and introduce twelve of their favourite short stories.

Vicky chose the story ‘Bees’ from my book. Here is what she said:

“All the stories in Stevens’ debut collection, In Their Absence, explore different aspects of the idea of what it means to go missing. Many of the stories are very short – just a paragraph or two – but they’re all exquisitely written and full of emotional nuance.

‘Bees’ is full of tension which Stevens skillfully builds, lets you down with a sigh of relief, before ratcheting it up to 11 in the final paragraph. ‘Bees’ describes every harried parent’s ultimate nightmare, but it’s utterly unpredictable and, astonishingly, full of beauty.”

To grab your copy of In Their Absence head to Blackwell’s books who do worldwide shipping.

Victoria MacKenzie is the author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain. ‘An astounding debut, both epic and intimate, about grief, trauma, revelation, and the hidden lives of women - by a major new talent.’

You can read Vicky’s full A Personal Anthology here.