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Memoir, essay, articles, prose, 2,000 words max |
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Short story fiction contest, 2,000 words or fewer |
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November 16, 2009
RESULTS POSTED |
Any style of poetry that fits on one page |
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Congratulations Winners
of our Third Annual Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest!
Judges Comments:
We received 41 entries for our poetry contest this fall. As always,
I enjoyed the reading and found much to appreciate within this group of entries. While the skill level of the poets varied
widely, I could find in most of the poems a noteworthy image or beautiful turn of phrase. To the poets who placed in the contest,
I offer congratulations. To all of the poets, keep at the good work of writing poetry. It’s a worthwhile pursuit.
Amy
1st place - "If Love is a Big City, Lately I’ve Considered
Relocating" by Adrian S. Potter of Minnetonka, MN
2nd place - "Growing Old" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
3rd place - "Girl at the Crematorium" by Linda Kowalczyk of Staten Island, NY
4th place - "In
War" by Justin Gold of Chatham, NJ
5th place - "At the Crosswalk" by Gerald O. Ryan of Elgin, IL
6th
place - "Night Watchman" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
7th place - "Waiting for my track number"
by Justin Gold of Chatham, NJ
8th place - "Born With It" by Linda Kowalczyk of Staten Island, NY
9th place
- "Place of Origin" by Mali Woods-Drake
10th place - "Ain’t No Dr. Suess" by Lisa Rose Granitz
Chottiner of Farmington Hills, MI
Notable Entries
(In no particular order)
"In
the New York Airport" by Ginna Wilkerson of Tampa, FL
"The Promise That India Makes" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
"Buddha Belly" by Ute Carson
of Austin, TX
"Jacky" by Sally Clark of Fredericksburg, TX
"Bag Full of Fall" by Carol Carpenter
of Livonia, MI
"Blue Dodge Ram" by Sarah Savage of Middletown, NY
"Going Home" by Claudia Mundell
of Carthage, MO
"The Last of the Summer Apples" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
Thanks to all who entered!
Prize money mailed in December. Critiques returned by the end of January.
Congratulations
Winners of our Third Annual Amazing Story Fiction Contest!
Judges Comments:
We received 44 entries
again this year for our short story contest. (I'm not sure why 44 happens to be the magic number for entries. Go figure!) As
always, we had a good variety of themes and subjects, and not a dull one in the bunch. My hats off to the writers for
their creativity and wonderful words and phrases. I enjoyed the reading! Amy
1st place - "Fisherman's Wife" by Medb
Mahony of Boston, MA
2nd place - "Washington 'Scuddy' Bone" by K.L.Preston of Rancho Dominguez, CA
3rd
place - "Suspicious Package" by Laura Loomis of Pittsburg, CA
4th place - "Building a Man"
by Deanne Buffalari of Charleston, SC
5th place - "The Race" by Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
6th place - "Amish
Nancy" by Sylvia Outley of Moncure, NC
7th place - "In the Dark" by Julie Cline of Mansfield, MA
8th place - "Requiem for Salvatore" by Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
9th place - "Splat!" by Kelly
Meyer of Des Moines, IA
10th place - "Not What I Expected" by Steve Whisnant of Little Rock, AR Notable Entries
(In no particular order)
"Meeting the Locals" by Alan Guzzetti of Sun City, CA
"The 1970 Plymouth Superbird"
by Sara Gipson, North Little Rock, AR
"The Green Yarn of Life" by Gary R. Hoffman of Okeechobee, FL
"Elocution
Contest for Children at Indian Public School" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
"One Last Time" by
Logan Chandlee of Bloomington, IL
"My Favorite Cousin" by Adrian S. Potter of Minnetonka, MN
"Seepage"
by Michael Colonnese of Fayetteville, NC
"The Woman on the Bus" by George A. Thomas of Sarasota, FL
"Seasoned
With Love" by Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed
by October 15. Congratulations
Winners of our Second Annual Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest!
Judges Comments:
We received 59 entries of
varying writing skill. However, I found that all of the entries had merit, and many of them, with some revision,
could have placed higher. Don't give up on your novels, writers! Keep working at it! Amy
1st place - For Your Protection by Andrea
Eaker of Portland, OR
2nd place - Cross Hill by Dale Barwick of Sumter, SC
3rd place - Ballet Dreams
by Kathy Lee Scott of Cypress, CA
4th place - Dead Women by Victoria T. Joseph of Agawam, MA
5th place
- An Act of Great Defiance by Zain Deane of Fort Lauderdale, FL
6th place - Stragedy by Scott Simonsen
of Mill Creek, WA
7th place - Coup De Vent by Colin Loftin of Chicago, IL
8th place - Lightning Strikes
by Jade E. Morstad of Columbia Falls, MT
9th place - Waking Dreams by Joel Bittle of Webster Groves, MO
10th
place - Dimensions In Ego by R.F. Marazas of Belvidere, NJ Notable Entries
(In no particular order)
Sinean's Chains
by Laurence Gavin Loftin of Denver, CO
New Hope by S. Elaine Nelson of Euclid, OH
Summer of '37
by Raymond Trainor of Sun Lakes, AZ
The Cathedral at Preacher's Gulch by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
Accounting
for Life by Chris Smith of Mustang, OK
The Girl in the Box by Sheila Dalton of Newmarket, Ontario CANADA
The Mbuji Juju by Gary William Towner of Fremont, CA
Escape from Empire by Leon Linfield of Redlands,
CA
Piety And Murder by Thomas R. Drinkard of Langston, AL
Acceptance Clause by Andrea Eaker of
Portland, OR
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed by July 15. Congratulations
Winners of our Second Annual Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest!
Judge's
Comments:
One of the things I especially find interesting about judging
the nonfiction contest is the various themes that run through the entries. Of these 44 entries, five of you chose to write
about your fathers, three about trips to Florida, four of you discussed health issues you or a loved one faced and how that
affected you. To my great surprise, there was only one humor piece, although others had bits of humor or irony in your entries.
Generally
speaking, the entries were not widely diverse in skill level, so that left me to decide by what made the most impact on me,
for whatever reason. So yes, this contest, like most contests, is subjective. However, don’t let that keep you from
entering these stories in other contests and even submitting these stories for publication. Do some research, persist. Find
the right audience for your story.
As
always, thanks for playing!
Amy
We
had 44 entries in our Second Annual Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest!
1st
place - "Pale Northern Legs" by Lydia Suarez of Verona, NJ
2nd place - "Waking Up in Bangalore" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
3rd place - "Riley’s Small Engine Service" by Phil Scearce of Murfreesboro, TN
4th place - "Seeds of the Soul"
by Gail Collins of Houston, TX
5th place - "An Invaluable Lesson From Nature" by Joy Wooderson of O’Fallon, MO
6th place - "My Hair Has a Mind of Its Own" by Chris Cutler of Nashville, TN
7th place - "The Farmer Comes Home" by Kelly Z. Conrad of Sarasota, FL
8th place - "The House in The Woods" by CJ Barrows of Glenford, OH
9th place - "A Thailand Tale" by Judy Evans of Boyanup, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
10th place - "Ten Years, the Culture of Poverty, and Home Ownership in the U.S." by J.R. Turner of Wisconsin
Rapids, WI
Notable
Entries
(In no particular
order)
“Lessons Learned” by Julie Cline of Mansfield,
MA
“Did
You See a Sea Otter Float By?” by Monica Marcinko of Carson City, NV
“A Quiet Man” by Wayne Scheer of Atlanta, GA
“Higher Ground” by Margo
Aragon of Lewiston, ID
“Junk
Mail Blues” by Gilda McCormack of Levittown, NY
“Whatever doesn’t kill you…” by Nick Kolenda of North Easton,
MA
“Is This
Some Sort of Test?” by Nikki Phillips of North Beach, MD
“The Sketch” by Bonnie Feldkamp of Portage, MI
“Kay” by Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
“An Afternoon
at the Hatchery” by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed by the end of April.
Congratulations Winners of our Burning
the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest 2008! Judge's Comments: The poetry contest has come and gone in this
our second year, and I am definitely pleased with the high quality of work we received, for both those who made the lists
and those who didn't. The competition is getting fiercer with each contest, which means we're attracting the cream
of the crop. It was very difficult determining the Top Ten entries! Congratulations to those who made the Top Ten
as well as the Notable Entries lists. And congratulations to all who entered. Keep taking risks. Keep writing. Amy We
had 60 entries in our Second Annual Burning the Midnight Oil Poetry Contest! 1st place - "On Cowboys" by Kausam
Salam of Houston, TX
2nd place - "After the Funeral" by Adrian Potter
of Minnetonka,MN
3rd place - "Passing By" by Jim Barton of Huttig,
AR 4th place - "The Cancer Garden" by Jim Pahz of Mt. Pleasant, MI
5th place - "The Readiness is All" by Leslie Ribovich
of New York, NY
6th place - "Disoriented" by Susan W. Peters of Overland
Park, KS
7th place - "Yellow Room" by Kausam Salam of Houston,
TX
8th place - "Hardheaded" by Adrian Potter of Minnetonka,MN
9th place - "I Will Still Miss The Yearning" by Ute
Carson of Austin, TX
10th place - "Safe and Secure" by Carol E. Ayer of
Hayward, CA
Notable Entries
(In no particular order) "Thanksgiving Musings" by Mary L.
McCulley of Oneida, NY
"Fairy Trails" by Cheryl Pahz of Mt. Pleasant, MI
"Disposable" by L. ‘Ailina Laranang of Lafayette,
LA
"Farewell the Immigrant" by Lilah Contine of St.
Charles, MO
"The Visit" by Solveig Engh of West Fargo, ND
"Like Smoke" by Jim Pahz of Mt. Pleasant, MI
"Pantoum" by Susan W. Peters of Overland Park, KS
"The Mooncalf" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
"How Good Girls Go Bad" by Jackleen Holton of San
Diego, CA
"Scavenger" by Jolen Whitworth of West Yorkshire,
ENGLAND
"gluttony" by Catherine De Laney of North Andover,
MA
"To a Granddaughter" by Lisa M. Carlone of Cortlandt
Manor, NY
"My poetic tribute to Jean Dole" by Matthew Harris
of Narberth, PA
"The Womb" by Sandy Jordan of Neosho, MO
"Prairie Land" by Jim Pahz of Mt. Pleasant, MI
"Hypnotherapy" by Jackleen Holton of San Diego, CA
"Escrime" by Jolen Whitworth of West Yorkshire, ENGLAND
"Another Reason My Mother-In-Law Doesn't Like Me"
by Cheryl Pahz of Mt. Pleasant, MI "The Drive" by Solveig Engh of West Fargo, ND
"Sanguine Sea" by Jolen Whitworth of West Yorkshire,
ENGLAND Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed before the end of January.
Congratulations Winners of our Amazing Story Fiction Contest
2008! Judge's Comments:
Another contest and another difficult
round of decisions. This crop of stories has been some of the best I've seen. The level of writing is higher than
in other contests I've judged in the past, which made the process challenging, to say the least!
Congratulations
to those who made the Top Ten as well as the Notable Entries lists. For those of you who didn't, don't stop writing.
All of these stories had merit.
Amy
We
had 51 entries in our Second Annual Amazing Story Fiction Contest!
1st place - "January 7, 1939" by Marjorie K. Petesch of Cary, NC
2nd place - "The Crossing" by Jerrel
Swingle of O'Fallon, MO
3rd place - "Product of a Dream" by Gerry Cofield of Wedowee,
AL
4th place - "Of Metal and Dust" by Jonathan Holmes of Lake Oswego, OR
5th place - "Innocent
With a Capital 'I'" by Stephen Joseph of Bangalore, INDIA
6th place - "The Ways of the Tortoise" by Helen
Meikle of South West Rocks, AUSTRALIA
7th place - "If Only" by Mary Chandler of Reno, NV
8th place - "Doreen's
Tomorrows" by Gay Ingram of Big Sandy, TX
9th place - "Grandma in Hospital" by Julian Worker of New Westminster,
CANADA
10th place - "The Prospect" by Dave Easby of Marmora, CANADA
Notable Entries
(In
no particular order)
"A Junior Officer" by George A. Thomas of Sarasota, FL
"His Cousin Jerry" by Richard West Anderson, Fort Myers, FL
"My Scarlet Star" by Nicole Wang
of Nepean, CANADA
"Flight" by Denise R. Graham of Wentzville, MO
"Flawed" by Mary Chandler
of Reno, NV
"While Hit by a 2 X 4, Child Size" by Andrea Heiberg of Vordingborg, DENMARK
"The Shadow With Dark Eyes" by Cherise Olson of The Woodlands,
TX
"Black Maggie's Secret" by Robert Walton of King City, CA
"Shy, Shy Yolanda" by Phylis Warady of Grass Valley, CA
"My Neighbor's Secret" by Wayne Scheer of Atlanta, GA
"Traveling With Cousin Gertie Mae" by Marcia L. Sinclair of Chicago, IL
"The Nine-Month-Man" by Zain Deane of Ft. Lauderdale, FL
"The Amazing Adventures of Miss Peaches and Mr. Toothy" by Stephen B. Ambush of Everett, MA "The Odd Man"
by Benjamin Blue of Spring Hill, FL
"Shatterings" by R. F. Marazas of Belvidere, NJ
"An Ode to Distant Kin" by John Crouch of Cape Canaveral, FL
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed during the
month of September.
Congratulations to the Winners of our Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter
Contest 2008!
Judges Comments:
Strange the way things work
sometimes. As part of the announcement to this contest, I had written a blurb about writing the Great American Novel--to which
some of you from across the wide waters wrote and asked if my description excluded novels from other countries. While the
term is such a part of the American culture, I had certainly not intended to discourage writers of English who reside in other
countries. Thankfully, someone brought this to my attention, so I amended my blurb to be more welcoming. And
am I ever glad I did! We had some wonderful submissions from foreign countries--more than I have received from any of
the other contests. As you can see by the results, not only are the first and third place winners from overseas, we have
two other top ten winners who entered from outside the United States--which goes to show we have many Great (fill
in the blank) Novels.
As to those who didn't place, this was not an easy contest to judge. I
met many interesting characters and encountered fascinating settings and exciting plots. Many times I found
a beautiful turn of phrase or lovely description. I would also like to mention that judging is subjective. What fascinates
one judge might not interest another nearly as much. Most of all, I wish all the entrants the best in their novel
writing endeavors.
Keep plugging away at that novel!
Amy
We had 41 entries in our first ever Novel Beginnings 1st Chapter Contest!
1st
place - ON THE HOLLOWAY ROAD by Andrew Blackman of London, ENGLAND
2nd place - WASHED ASHORE by Gary Syck of Kirkland,
WA
3rd place - ORDINARY LIVES by Jane Seaford of Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND
4th place - REUBEN AND RACHEL by
Jerrel Swingle of O'Fallon, MO
5th place - MY FATHER'S COAT by James Vescovi of New York, NY
6th place -
THE COFFEE DIARY I by Caroline Kellems of Guatemala City, GUATEMALA
7th place - SHAPING HEROES by E Dee Monnen of
Easton, MD
8th place - HILDALAND--THE VANISHING ISLE by Adrian Lees of West Midlands, ENGLAND
9th place - WHITE
CHALK ROAD by Rodney Walther of Sugar Land, TX
10th place - MCANGEL by Jim Pahz of Mount Pleasant, MI
Notable Entries
(In
no particular order)
ARRIVAL by Brett McCoy of St. Charles, MO
EBBY'S RACE by M. Carolyn Steele of Tulsa,
OK
DESPERATE CHANCE by MaryAnn Kohenskey of Maryland Heights, MO
LUCIFER'S TRUMPET by John Williams of Pahoa,
HI
MELODY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE by E Dee Monnen of Easton, MD
WINNIE'S BIRD by Mary T. Windhorst of Summit, NJ
Thanks to all who entered! Prize money and critiques mailed or emailed during the month of June.
Congratulations to the Winners
of our Dead of Winter Nonfiction Contest 2008!
A few words about the judging. .
. I have long lost track of how many contests I have judged over the years, but in all of my judging, this particular contest,
this particular year, has been the hardest--ever! The one thing I found most remarkable is that none of the entries landed
in the "no" pile. This is a first in my judging experience. And while some of you may equate not making the list
as a rejection, what I want every writer who entered this contest to know is that every entry had merit. All could find homes
in a publication--though, admittedly, some pieces require more revision than others. The freelance writer in me was excited
while reading your entries, thinking of possible markets for the stories, essays, articles, and prose. More about that when
you receive your critiques during the month of March.
Keep writing--please! Do this for yourself, but not only
for you. Write for those who have yet to hear your unique voice in this world.
Amy
We had 46
entries in our first nonfiction contest!
1st place - "And the Road Goes on Forever" by Gerald O. Ryan of Roselle, IL
2nd place - "Genesis" by Michael Falcone of Seattle, WA
3rd place - "A Patch of Sky"
by M. Carolyn Steele of Tulsa, OK
4th place - "A Memory of My Grandmother's Garden" by M.T. Windhorst
of Summit, NJ
5th place - "The Gift" by Nancy Andres of Lucas, OH
6th place - "Generation Gap"
by BJ Bateman of Damascus, OR
7th place - "The Cat and Toad Exercise Plan" by Linda Fisher of Sedalia, MO
8th place - "Power Struggles Over Tiny People" by Cheryl Morgen of Bend, OR
9th place - "Winter Work"
by Linda A. White of Wainwright, AB CANADA
10th place - "Appreciating Springtime" by Roger Poppen of Cobden,
IL
11th place - "One Afternoon" by Cheryl Caruolo of Whitman, MA
12th place - "Dilemma"
by Cynthia Lelos of Riva del Garda, ITALY
13th place - "Glamour Returns To New Jersey's Ritz Theatre" by
M.T. Windhorst of Summit, NJ
14th place - "Getting Started" by Solveig Engh of West Fargo, ND
15th place
- "The Era of The Iron Maiden" by Sandy Jordan of Neosho, MO
Notable
Entries
(In no particular order)
"The Bub With Three Lives" by SheLa E. Morrison
of Gabriola Island, BC CANADA
"Ticket to Ride" by Audrey RL Wyatt of Mansfield, MA
"Wedding in Luxor"
by Judy Evans of Boyanup, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
"Catch and Release (A True Story)" by Charles Toll of Pasadena,
MD
"Hidden Value" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR
"Get a Deadline and Get More Writing Done" by
Marcia Peterson of Benicia, CA
"Partners" by B. Lynn Goodwin of Danville, CA
"Ack! Turkeys on the
Roof!" by Ange Crawford of Corvallis, OR
"My Dream Breakfast" by Jeanette Hollman of Hazelwood, MO
"Death in the Afternoon" by Paulle Clark of El Prado, NM
"A Hair's Breadth Removed" by Tabatha
Hibbs of Tahlequah, OK
Thanks to all who entered! Checks to top three winners and free critiques will be mailed
or emailed in the month of March.
Congratulations
to the winners of our Burning the Midnight Oil Contest 2007!
We had 81 entries in our first poetry contest!
2nd place - "I Love You" by John Lavan of Huddersfield, W. York UK3rd place - "Why Grandma Bought That Car"
by Anne R. Allen of Los Osos, CA
4th
place - "plane" by Michelle Lau of Marlton, NJ5th place - "Crow's Feet" by Jim Barton of Huttig, AR6th place - "Fishing on Faulkner
Lake" by Sara Gipson of North Little Rock, AR7th place - "Nightwatchman" by Michael Colonnese of Fayetteville, NC8th place - "Spider" by
John Lavan of Huddersfield, W. Yorks UK9th place - "Lifers" by Faye Adams of De Soto, MO 10th place - "The Dance" by Karen Buley
of Missoula, MT
11th place - "Dirty Laundry"
by Terri Perez of Union Bridge, MD12th place - "The Gift" by Ute Carson of Galveston, TX13th place - "Johnny Apple Seed" by Sallie McCormick Adams
of St. Charles, MO14th place - "Blue and Gray" by Noble Collins of Payson, AZ15th place - "Porch Swing" by Jim Barton of Huttig,
AR
Notable Entries(In no particular order)
"Ice Cream and Yesterdays" by Sandy Jordan
of Neosho, MO"WLS
Thoughts (Weight Loss Surgery)" by Mary L. McCulley of Oneida, NY"Maui" by Marjory Stone of Kula, HI"Jones Beach" by Diana
M. Raab of Santa Barbara, CA "My Love Flies Free" by Anna E. Eubank of Brownsville, KY"Bandanas" by Sallie McCormick Adams of St. Charles,
MO"Mis-Communication"
by Sylvia Forbes of Fayette, MO"Left Ellis Island Flowerless" by Phyllis D. Green of Chapel Hill, NC"HONEYMOON PICTURES" by Gerald O. Ryan
of Roselle, IL "A
Cloud Could Come" by Edward Boccia of Webster Groves, MO"Cold Contentment" by Kimberlee Edgecomb of Nornell, NY"And Whales Sang Songs"
by Lilah Contine of St. Charles, MO"Self Image" by John Lavan of Huddersfield, W. Yorks UK"Hope" by Phyllis D. Green of Chapel
Hill, NC"Brioche"
by Dimetra Makris of Amherst, MA
**Prizes
and critiques will be mailed out in December.
Thank
you for entering our contest!
**********************************************************************************************
Congratulations
to the winners of our Amazing Story Fiction Contest 2007!
We had 40 entries in our first short story contest.
1st place - 2nd place - "The Survivor 1837"
by M. Carolyn Steele of Tulsa, OK3rd place - "The Deep Doorway" by Cynthia Lelos, residing in Italy
4th place - "Eleven by Eleven" by Magdalin M. Szabo of Chesterfield,
MO5th place
- "The Force of Tradition" by Steven M. Moore of Concord, MA6th place - "The Nobody Fathers" by Josh Peterson of Los
Angeles, CA7th
place - "The Curse of Kitsch" by Jerrel Swingle of O'Fallon, MO8th place - "Sprayed: A Love Story" by Elizabeth Ledford
of Franklin, TN9th
place - "The Creature At Marble Marsh" by Philip Loyd of Houston, TX10th place - "Unbelievable" by Brandon Sewell
of Huber Heights, OH
Notable Entries(In no particular order)
"Karma"
by Mary T. Windhorst of Summit, NJ"The Quiet Room" by Magdalin M. Szabo of Chesterfield, MO"Ringing of a Bell" by C.S. Larsen of Rochester,
MN"Goober"
by Bernice O'Connor of Rochester, NY"Noises" by Corey Melin of Puyallup, WA"Sad sex in Vegas, bad drugs in Vermont" by Mary Horner
of St. Peters, MO
"Pawns" by James R. Tate
(address withheld)"Southern Girl" by Philip Loyd of Houston, TX"The Face On Mars" by Margaret K. Gates of Ava, MO
Prizes will be mailed out after Labor Day. Critiques will be mailed or
emailed after Labor Day.
Thank you for entering our contest!
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