The Rubery International Book Award is a testament to the power of independent publishing and the importance of recognizing exceptional works of fiction and non-fiction. The award, which was established in 2010, is one of the UK’s most respected literary prizes for independent and small-press authors. This year, the award was given to Irish author Tracy Fahey for her critically acclaimed body-terror collection, I Spit Myself Out. “I Spit Myself Out is part of a wave of contemporary body-horror typified by Mona Awad, Carmen Maria Machado, and Aliya Whiteley.” – Tracy Fahey
I Spit Myself Out is a body-terror collection that maps the female experience from puberty to menopause, exploring themes of identity, aging, bodily autonomy, and coercive control.
Fahey’s collection, which was first published in 2021 by Sinister Horror Company, includes eighteen unsettling stories that delve into the complexities of the female experience. The opening story, ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror,’ has been reprinted in the British Library’s Doomed Romances anthology, and five of its stories made US editor Ellen Datlow’s list of Recommended Reading for 2022. Fahey’s work has been widely acclaimed, with her short story collection being shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award in 2022, and her novella, They Shut Me Up, being shortlisted for the 2024 British Fantasy Award. Fahey is an Irish author and academic who lectures in the Gothic, folk horror and creative writing at the Limerick School of Art and Design, TUS. She has been awarded the Paul Cave Prize For Literature (2024), a Saari Fellowship by the Kone Foundation (2023), and has been shortlisted three times for British Fantasy Awards. “Winning the Rubery Award is proof of our interest in the overlap between contemporary female and horror—as in recent movies Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance and Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch—and further proof that it’s time to bring this book back into the world.” – Tracy Fahey
Queens of the Crone Age, Fahey’s next project, will centre on the female figure and explore the resurrection of the powerful, mythological figure of the Hag in the contemporary world. “We are delighted to publish Fahey’s next upcoming project, scheduled for 2026 – a linked short story collection exploring the resurrection of the powerful, mythological figure of the Hag in the contemporary world—and what this resurrection provokes.” – PS Publishing
Fahey’s work can be found in over 50 Irish, UK, US, and Australian anthologies, and she has been selected for writing residencies in Ireland, Scotland, Finland, and Greece. She can be contacted via her website at www.tracyfahey.com.
| Awards and Recognition | Year | Award | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Cave Prize For Literature | 2024 | Winner | For her novella, What Happens at the End |
| Saari Fellowship | 2023 | Winner | By the Kone Foundation |
| British Fantasy Awards | 2022, 2024 | Shortlisted | For her short story collection and novella, They Shut Me Up |
| Rubery International Book Award | 2025 | Winner | For her body-terror collection, I Spit Myself Out |
- Published by Sinister Horror Company in 2021, I Spit Myself Out explores the complexities of the female experience through eighteen unsettling stories.
- The collection includes stories that map the female experience from puberty to menopause, delving into themes of identity, aging, bodily autonomy, and coercive control.
- Five of its stories made US editor Ellen Datlow’s list of Recommended Reading for 2022.
- The opening story, ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror,’ has been reprinted in the British Library’s Doomed Romances anthology.
Tracy Fahey is a versatile author and academic who has published her work in over 50 anthologies. Her next book, Queens of the Crone Age, is scheduled to be published in 2026 with PS Publishing. “I’m excited to have the additional validation of the Rubery International Book Award.
