Ways of Living

'These are sharp, wry, playful stories of split and secret selves, alter-egos, doppelgangers - of escape routes from the very contemporary and existential crises their women find themselves in.' - Lucy Caldwell, author of Intimacies Andie can see no other way to escape a wedding than by hiding in a tree. Esther starts a new life in a King's Cross hotel with a bad-tempered ventriloquist dummy, while Gina finally leaves a group of infuriating friends - but not before providing them with a suitable replacement. Ways of Living is Gemma Seltzer's keen exploration of what it means to be a modern woman inhabiting the urban landscape. Ten stories of ordinary women going to extraordinary lengths to be understood, acting in bold and unpredictable ways as they map their identities onto London's streets. How do we speak and listen to each other? Who gets to talk? And what is the true power of quiet in a noisy world?

Gemma Seltzer is interested in different forms of storytelling. Her work includes The Guardian's award-winning virtual reality film 'Songbird', fictional blog '5am London' and online flash fiction series 'Speak to Strangers', subsequently published by Penned in the Margins. She collaborates with dancers, photographers and older adults to create writing and storytelling projects. In 2015, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research innovative approaches in creative ageing across the United States and Australia. She has written for BBC Radio 3, performed her work at the Venice Biennale and runs Write & Shine, a programme of early morning writing workshops and online courses. Gemma lives in London. gemmaseltzer.com?.