As if reading the astonishing entries submitted by our writing community were not enough reward, at the end of the judging process we experience the incomparable joy of publishing new works of literature, and helping to bring these wonderful creations to new readers. We wish to acknowledge our indebtedness and gratitude to our entrants for … Read more
It is our honor and privilege to announce the winning entries of The Letter Review Prize for Short Fiction, Manuscripts, Poetry, and Nonfiction. Our sincere congratulations go out the writers listed below. We hope you agree that these breathtaking works of literature have earned their positions as winning entries: We are tremendously proud to have … Read more
Oh, the unpublished manuscript – the gem that’s hiding on your hard drive, just waiting for the spotlight! Maybe you’ve written the next great American novel or a short story collection that’ll make readers weep. Perhaps you’re sitting on a poetry collection that’ll stir souls or a nonfiction book that’ll change minds. How do you … Read more
Second Place in the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories During mid-morning coffee break, Fintan told Shauna about his recurring dream. He told it, if not for laughs, then as fodder for caffeine-time banter. He said that he was in Chapters, rooting through the second-hand CD racks, picking out some rare finds, while feeling an … Read more
The Mine Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories New Fiction by Mark Grant June 29th, 2023 After wiping the grey earthenware bowl, he ate the sodden bread, licked his fingers, and finished the lopsided beaker of sour beer. He looked across the smoky room at three soldiers, dark cropped heads clustered … Read more
An Element of Time Second Place in the Letter Review for Flash Fiction New Flash Fiction by Dale Shank June 29th, 2023 One evening while Argon went through his parents’ documents to settle their estate, he discovered in their will that he, the estate’s sole beneficiary, was born a generation before them. Immediately, he went … Read more
Dislocation Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction New Flash Fiction by David Osgood June 29th, 2023 Mom wakes up twice during the night. The first time I carry her to the bathroom, the second is a night terror: something about a disfigured mummy unwrapping and moaning. No more old Boris Karloff … Read more
The Replacement First Place in the Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction New Flash Fiction by Morgan Karpiel June 29th, 2023 At first, Robert assumed that she was simply well made, a beautiful unit, sleek and warm, with a bob of white-blonde hair, heavy-lidded eyes sparkling with iridescent pink glitter, and a laugh that sounded … Read more
After a Massacre Joint Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry New Poetry by Abby E. Murray This morning, she woke up to mesitting beside her, my hand on herlavender-pajamaed still-baby-belly, a gesture that has calmed her sincethe day she was born. She is eightand I’m not certain I will ever feel her … Read more
The Bones, Of Course Joint First Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry New Poetry by Rob Carney May 29th, 2023 THE BONES, OF COURSE, make interesting litter.Cattle, mostly, but sometimes coyotes too.Go eight days without water, you’re a camel. Do that as anything else,and you’re a ghost, a voice leaving on the windand … Read more