"It almost seemed wrong to tear the paper, but when Helen finally lifted the lid Robert saw over her shoulder an explosion of bright and dark colours, and for a moment he forgot what he had given her. It appeared to be a box of coloured lights. Then he watched her hand disappear inside and he remembered how it would feel cool and smooth like cream."

It's Not Me, It's You won the inaugural Southword Fiction Chapbook Prize for Best Irish Entry. Brian Kirk is a poet and short story writer from Dublin. He was shortlisted twice for the Patrick Kavanagh Award. His first poetry collection After The Fall was published by Salmon Poetry in 2017. His poem "Birthday", taken from that collection, won the Listowel Writers' Week Irish Poem of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2018. His novel for children The Rising Son was published in 2015. His short stories have been widely published and he was shortlisted twice for Hennessy Awards for fiction. He blogs at www.briankirkwriter.com.