Escalator Literature winner 2009: Kate Swindlehurst

Biography:

Kate Swindlehurst taught English in the North of England for 30 years, whilst trying to fit writing into the spaces between work, family and travel. In 2009 she completed an MA in Creative Writing at Anglia Ruskin University. She is in the process of finishing a short story collection, and is working on a novel set in Argentina. Publications include a story in Cadenza magazine and an article in the journal Style.

‘Almost time. Months, days of waiting, my waist thickening, breasts swollen, tender to the touch. As the pain eases, I put my hand on my belly, stretched tight, a defence against danger. I feel you shift in the warmth inside me. My fingers find a hard shape, your elbow or a knee perhaps, that thrusts as you nuzzle my palm in greeting. How shall I reply?’