The winner of 2022 BBC National Short Story Award was announced this week as London-based writer, Saba Sams. Following the announcement , we spoke to her about ‘Blue 4eva’– the winning story. I particularly enjoyed that each of the stories were from an introspective point of view, (and I love this from Sally Rooney’s writing) so it was great to see this on a different piece of work from a different author. I loved seeing the thoughts of these women and getting a slice of their lives.

It isn’t a question Stella’s been asked before. Frank’s interest in taking photographs of her only developed this holiday. I don’t mind, she says. It’s fun.Once the girls become so hot and thirsty that they have to brave the sea, Jasmine devises a game in which Stella has to paddle around her and Blue in circles to make sure they don’t get stung.

At the villa, Stella sits on the veranda with the adults while Jasmine and Blue shower and get ready to go out. It’s almost like before Blue arrived: Claire leafing through a book, Frank loading a new film into his camera. He puts the previous canister carefully into his bag, and lets out a long, low whistle. It is in descriptions like this that Sams’ writing really shines through. Bringing forth not only the vulnerability and the weight of honesty of certain situations, but also the consistent (and sometimes desperate) striving for control that can seem like a well-known coping mechanism to many of us, makes her an exceptionally relatable writer.I was not expecting this book. I read it because of the cover, and found an amazing collection of short stories that really surprised me. This year’s judging panel was chaired by novelist and broadcaster, Elizabeth Day. She was joined by Costa First Novel Award winning novelist Ingrid Persaud; writer, poet and editor, Will Harris; Booker Prize shortlisted novelist and Professor of Creative Writing, Gerard Woodward; and returning judge Di Speirs, Books Editor at BBC Audio. How long did this story take to write? I read that you began working on it when you were 19 years old, and returned to it later. Stella squats. It takes a while for the piss to come. She’s nervous with them both watching over her like that. Her aim isn’t particularly good, and she only manages to get a little bit on Jasmine’s sting. The rest splashes up around her ankles and across Jasmine’s shins. Jasmine squeezes her eyes shut and retches.

The salad has green beans in it, and the water next to Stella’s plate has been poured into a pint glass. She takes a sip.

The door opens, and there’s Blue, dressed in a pair of fluorescent orange bikini bottoms and a white crop top, her dark nipples just visible underneath. One of her hands is full of cherries, the other full of stones. In “Snakebite” Meg falls into an intense relationship with Lara. Lara, motivated only by drink and sex, uses Meg for money, company and even simple bodily warmth. Every inch of us knows that Meg must rid herself of Lara, whose influence has ruined her university attendance, her relationship with her flatmates, and even her health, yet Meg clings on to Lara, because – we, too, understand – sometimes someone is better than no one. This award is so prestigious that honestly I didn’t think too hard about. I truly never thought I’d be shortlisted, let alone win. A schoolgirl daughter of a butcher begins a relationship with a much older man and becomes enamoured, not with him but his aggressive out of control dog Petal, her wanting for flesh reflected in this creature. In fact, Stella’s school made a point not to set homework on the computer. When Stella found out about the holiday, it was the first time she used the desktop for anything other than video games. She looked up the island and sat for hours, hovering her mouse over the images. She didn’t go downstairs again all evening, and Jasmine left without saying goodbye. The water looked so clear Stella could see the shadows of the boats on the sand at the bottom of the sea. She thought that when she swam in it, she’d be able to watch the fish drifting beneath her, an aquarium without the glass.

I’m always thinking about what it looks like to be a young woman: about bodies and power, about friendships and family, about the ways we’re constantly looking to break free” In ‘The Mothers and The Girls’, the friendship of a pair of schoolgirls, presented as a solid unified entity throughout the story, begins to fall apart as they get to know a boy who shows interest in both of them without discrimination. When they press him to choose between the two of them and he refuses, the girls take the matter into their own hands – the result of which is perhaps the most chilling ending in the collection. It's a fierce look into womanhood and girlhood. It's all about what it means to be a girl or a woman, using your body or being used, taking charge, growing up, making mistakes... some stories were almost feral and difficult to read, but I loved them all. Blue puts her thumb in the air so that the others can see. Claire’s had her hands over her face, and she takes them down.How did it feel, when your name was announced as the winner? What was going through your mind at that moment? My favorite stories of the collection were 'Tinderloin', 'Snakebite', 'Send nudes', 'Here Alone', 'Blue 4ever' and 'The Bread.' These tales are about passionate friendships, elusive dating rules, and learning to live in your body. They’re midway through the meal when Blue waves at someone. Stella looks over her shoulder to see a man a few tables away. Jasmine looks too.