Poetry, Short Stories & Plays
Looking for Joan and Other Stories is a collection of stories set in UK, Ireland, and New York.
A bereft widower roams the city in search for his late wife. His ‘search’ is advanced in five of the stories.
The odyssey of a couple separating and finding their way back to each other.
Four Marylebone Cricket Club Members at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
A bibulous old actor is guide for the walk: ‘Murder in London’s West End’.
Two small-time criminals work the bar at Fortnum and Masons in Regent’s Street.
A woman remembers King’s Cross, London.
Men lay turf in preparation for a VIP ceremony in a London Park.
A soprano and her pianist are stranded in Bristol.
A woman escapes to Ireland from the consequences of a fatal car accident.
Review of America Awaits Us, My Lovely:
‘They are sensitive and engaging and I have enjoyed reading them very much’ – Penny Thomas former fiction editor, Seren Books.
‘A wonderful story collection! They are so touching, unflinching, melancholy - everybody just about holding on.’ - Chris Buckton, writer, educationist.
Here's what readers have to say about this book....
The most wholesome (and surreal) moment I had in 2024 was meeting Christopher Owen in London. We connected virtually during the first wave of Covid in 2020, when I read two plays that he wrote and blindly contacted him. We stayed in touch via e-mail and Facebook, and more than four years later, we finally met in person. At the age of 87, he is more creatively active than most people I know, and he gave me two books that he wrote and got published -- both collections of excellent, witty short stories, with the quirkiest of characters. Writer, director, actor, so much experience in theatre -- the man is a legend. The first short story in Looking for Joan -- Misconnections - I truly, truly LOVED it. The whole story comes full circle -- begins with Adrian and Susie splitting, ends with them reconciling and coming back together. And in the middle, we meet the QUIRKIEST and MOST INTERESTING characters. The idiosyncrasies you give your characters are so interesting -- Delia, who's a writer and puts so much thought into using the right words and phrases; Janet, who's THAT annoying person in a group who just has too much to say and thinks they're all-knowing. The old man in the writer's group, who Adrian ends up meeting in the library -- Adrian meeting that man was like a circle within the bigger circle. I LOVED it. I also love the little scene we get between Adrian and Susie in the beginning before they split -- it's hilarious and shows us so much about their relationship. I also LOVE your style of humor -- I haven't read much P.G. Wodehouse but the humor reminded me of what little Wodehouse I've read. It's so quirky and witty and natural. This book is a great example of something that is so well and intelligently written, yet SO fun to read.
I am enjoying the stories very much. I like Christopher Owen’s unostentatious style
‘Reading it now and enjoying it immensely’. A smashing read with great characters that are a joy to meet.
‘If you do nothing else in 2024, get yourself a copy of this book. Short story writing at it's very best, and I mean BEST!’
In Looking For Joan the story in the Misconnections, so sad and funny and horrible, and brilliantly constructed. The story A Day At The Cricket is a gem. I found ‘That’s alright, She Says’ quite heart rending, it goes deep into human powerlessness and loss.
Get the latest Troubador articles, news and events sent directly to your inbox.
