I have been writing for pleasure for as long as I’ve been able to sit at a computer and type. I still mourn the two novellas I lost from a floppy disk, age 11. In my teens I wrote a terrible romance YA novel, and moved on to writing plays from my mid-teens to my early twenties. After the onset of the first Covid lockdown, I then turned to writing short fiction. I have finished one short story collection, which explores the experiences of the East European diaspora in the West, and am in the process of revising and editing the stories within. I have started a second collection, in which all of the stories take place in a different seaside location. I also have two novel ideas waiting in the wings for me to devote time and headspace to them.
My writing achievements from the past few years include:
- Forthcoming September 2026 – “A Conversation on the Steps of the Soviet Memorial at Treptower Park”, The Frogmore Papers Issue 108.
- August 2026 – Highly Commended in the Frazzled Lit Short Story Competition with “Chanterelles”. Full list here.
- August 2026 – “Taras”, Gutter Magazine Issue 34. The story got a mention in the editorial.
- February 2026 – “The Bronze Horseman”, Hammond House, Secrets: Award-Winning Short Stories. ISBN: 978-1-0683756-7-5.
- April 2024 – Longlisted for the South Warwickshire Literary Festival Competition with “The Amber Room”
- March 2024 – Longlisted for the Flash 500 Short Story Competition with “Matryoshka”
- March 2023 – First place in the Cranked Anvil Flash Fiction Competition with “The Amber Room”. Published online at: https://crankedanvil.co.uk/2023/03/21/the-amber-room-marina-merryweather/
- May 2022 – Special Mention in the Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition with “The Amber Room”. Judge’s report here: https://flash500.com/flash-fiction-judges-report-q1-2022/
- April 2021 – Longlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize with “Shrapnel Wounds”
My writing education has included workshops with The Reader Berlin, Rosemary’s House, and the Stinging Fly, as well as writing retreats through Ink and Salt Retreats. I can highly recommend them all for the wisdom they have imparted and the like-minded writers I have been lucky enough to meet!
In addition to this, I am a regular attendee of the Berlin Fiction Circle and a host at one of the city’s Shut Up and Write! sessions. Both are massive cornerstones in my writing practice.