The Captivating Criminality Network is delighted to announce its fourth UK conference. Building upon and developing ideas and themes from the previous three successful conferences, Crime Fiction: Detection, Public and Private, Past and Present will examine what is arguably the very heart of this field of critical study.

Crime fiction narratives continue to gain in both popularity and critical appreciation. This conference will consider the ways in which both the public and private aspects of criminality and detection merge and differ from each other. The police detective, bound by laws of the state (however loosely adhered to) brings a different set of skills and methods of detection than the often maverick private eye. Of course, detection includes the criminals who attempt to avoid capture – the term ‘anti-hero’ can apply to both upholders of the law and to those evading it.

A key question that this conference will address is the enduring appeal of crime fiction and its ability to incorporate other disciplines such as Criminology, Film, and Psychology. From the ‘sensational’ novelists of the 1860s to today’s ‘Domestic Noir’ narratives, crime fiction has proved itself exceptionally proficient in expanding its parameters to encompass changes in the wider culture. With this in mind, we are interested in submissions that approach crime narratives from the earliest days of crime fiction up until the present day. 

This international, interdisciplinary event is organised by Bath Spa University and the Captivating Criminality Network, and we invite scholars, practitioners and fans of crime writing, as well as interested parties from Criminology, Psychology, Sociology, and Film and Media, to participate in this conference that will address these key elements of crime fiction and real crime.

Let’s have some fun with a bit of a different panel. I, Hector Duarte, Jr., will discuss a bit of the history of flash fiction. What it is and what it isn’t. What it leaves out and what it leaves up to the reader. Then I will go into some detail of what makes crime flash fiction so and how to make it happen on paper.

The idea for this “panel”—more of a workshop, really—is to get folks participating. What does that mean? Well, get ready to write, gather in groups, and discuss short writing exercises I will be guiding you through. We’re all friends here at Captivating Criminality. What better way to get social than to discuss your own personal pieces of writing?

Bring in a pen, a notebook, and your sinister imagination. Let’s see what happens. A little nervous about the process? No worries. This will take place during the wine reception, which should soften you up some and make for interesting writing. The idea here, folks, is to have fun. I’m looking forward to this session and can’t wait to see where it goes. Cheers. ~ Hector

Hector Duarte, Jr. is a writer out of Miami, Florida. To keep himself financially stable, he teaches English to seventh graders. To keep himself mentally stable, he reads, and writes, as many stories as he can.  His work has appeared in Flash: The International Short Story Magazine, Sliver of Stone, Foliate Oak, Shotgun Honey, Shadows and Light: An Anthology to Benefit Women’s Aid UK, The Whimsical Project, Spelk Fiction, HorrorSleazeTrash, Pulp Metal Magazine, and The Rumpus. Hector is a flash fiction editor at The Flash Fiction Offensive.

He has lectured at The Crime Fiction Here and There and Again Conference in Gdansk, Poland; the second and third Captivating Criminality Conferences in Corsham, England, and Theorizing the Popular at Liverpool’s Hope University. He has also moderated panels at Miami Book Fair and the AWP Conference in Los Angeles.