Announcing the Winners, Shortlist, and Longlist of The Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry (May – June 2023)
We’re uncontainably excited to share these nine winning entries with you, along with our Shortlists and Longlists. It gives us a bubbly / effervescent feeling to read astonishing pieces which have never seen the light of day.
Our deepest thanks and commendations go out to every entrant to this round of our Prizes. As ever, the care invested in each piece shines through. There are never any frivolous entries, and this alone makes choosing winning pieces complex and challenging. We hope that by providing Shortlists, and Longlists we can help to bring warranted attention to some writers beyond the Winners category. As you already know, if you missed out in this round we hope that you do not feel discouraged.
This time, the Judges decided to award three equal winners in each round. It was simply too hard to place these wonderful pieces of writing into a hierarchy. Having three equal winners also allows The Letter Review to celebrate differing styles of fiction and poetry, without privileging one variety above another. For this reason, in the future we will award three equal winners in all of our contests.
The Letter Review’s aim has always been to provide opportunities for as wide a variety of writers as possible. In service of this, we have expanded the categories of the subsequent rounds of our prizes to include Short Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Unpublished Books, and Art. The September – October round of our Prizes is now open, which you can enter below.
Without further ado, we can’t wait for you to read those chosen as the Winners. Make sure to click the title of each piece to read the winning entry. We hope you enjoy, and we hope to hear from you soon.
Winning Entries
Short Story Winners
- Ivan Suazo – How To Run a Bodega Successfully in the Boogie Down, NYC
- Janna Wagner – In Search of Omega
- Ruth MacLean – Monday Morning Rain or Shine
Flash Fiction Winners
Poetry Winners
- Blake Auden – Nam Mater Mea
- Dion O’Reilly – Dark Matter
- Frank William Finney – Here Stood the Thespians’ Tavern
Shortlists
Short Story Shortlist
- Mallory Miles – The Polar Bear
- Indyana Horobin – Sharky Stevens
- Emily Brown – Trouble Child
- Anil Classen – Fish Need to Swim
- Katcha Vidoyevich – Daddy
Flash Fiction Shortlist
- Sal Ragen – Sadie
- Genevieve Flintham – Even Herons Need To Eat
- Charlene Cason – Going Away
- Charles Grosel – Mom-G
- Carl L. Williams – What Mattered More
- Gideon McDonald – on the Mother
Poetry Shortlist
- Veronica Ma – strings and boxes
- Cindy Ellen Hill – Liberty NY 1977
- Stephanie Powell – Luteal waiting
- Heather Blakey – Silverhand
- Gary Beaumier – Portrait of My Soul as a Mushroom
- John Peter Beck – Kick the Can
- Charles Grosel – In Sleep and Waking
- Torrey Francis Malek – The Irish Walrus
- Michael Shoemaker – The Cost of a Human Life
- Linn Berkvens – Money
Longlists
Short Story Longlist
- Christy O’Callaghan – Stars
- Miki Lentin – The Party
- David Osgood – The Smell of Old Books
- James Skivington – The Portrait
- Robin Lovelace – Rougarou
- Chris Cody – What Day is it?
- Roberts Jekabsons – Down Goes Walcott
- Luke Lewin Davies – Holloway Road
- Holly Woodward – Breaking Silence
Flash Fiction Longlist
- June O’Sullivan – The Boathouse
- Pam Swanborough – A Hand-shy Heart
- Nancy Quinn – PLEASE. SIT.
- Alex Kupisiewicz – Stardust
- Will Burnette – The Fisherman
- Sydney Bollinger – Post Mortem
- Amber Fenik – Bus Fare
- Paul Watkins – The Tablet
Poetry Longlist
- Alex Stanley – The Saguaro Child
- John Osburn – Passage
- Daniel Moreschi – A Sunset Spectacle
- Ashley Davis – White Fingerprints
- Dana Kinsey – My Friend’s Reflection after Bad Tinder Date #38
- Wendell Hawken – Hayfield Elegy on the Road to Long Branch
- Stephen Allen – The Naturalist
- Alicia Sometimes – Robes of Darkest Blue
- Christie Washam – Watermelon Naengmyun
- Paul Buchheit – Old Man
- Elizabeth Hill – The Hamptons
Announcing the Winning Entries, Shortlist, and Longlist of the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories, Flash Fiction, and Poetry (March – April 2023)
It’s an enormous privilege to read the wonderful submissions to the Letter Review Prize. Each round we find the entries are of a remarkable standard. Consequently, choosing just three winners is a difficult task. This difficulty is lessened somewhat by the knowledge that those Shortlisted and Longlisted will receive some of the praise they are due, but only somewhat.
Judging this competition is truly a life enriching experience. We find each round that none of the entries are without merit: with special attention and care obviously invested in each. That’s why we feel it’s important to acknowledge the bravery, talent, and hard work that goes into preparing every entry for submission, regardless of whether the author is officially recognized in the lists below. Thank you all for your creative generosity.
This round’s winners are a balance of different genres: Historical fiction, quirky comedy, sci-fi, literary, and many astonishing works that defy a neat compartmentalization. There’s a home for every variety of writing at Letter Review. Next round we are intending to add further categories, to ensure every writer feels that Letter Review offers them opportunities, and a road to publication.
This round I wanted to share some of the qualities of the works that we particularly responded to. Works that make us feel or laugh intensely frequently stand out. Works that are thematically rich, complex, or original tend to read as well reasoned, or satisfyingly complete (what is this work saying?). Some of the winners’ entries address issues which feel relevant or timely. Notable characters frequently feel like real people, as though we are gaining a peek into a rich slice of their life. Strong images, and symbols linger in the mind after reading some of these works, with figurative language sparking emotion and epiphany like a variegated, vociferous firework.
As we must acknowledge each round, the number of entries we receive is overwhelming, and the competition is just so fierce. Our sincere thanks go to Art Director Kita Das for the gorgeous bespoke artwork which accompanies each publication. Without further ado, we hope you enjoy reading the astonishing winning entries just as much as we enjoyed judging them.
Short Story Winning Entries
Hell
Second Place in the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories
New Fiction by Ciaran Buckley
June 29th, 2023
The Mine
Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Short Stories
New Fiction by Mark Grant
June 29th, 2023
Short Story Shortlist (in no particular order):
- Ciaran Buckley – Hell
- Dr. Irene Felipe – Positive
- Mark Grant – The Mine
- Emily Zasada – The Memory Chamber
- D. B. Gardner – Every Whistle Paints a Picture
- Miles Marinello – Reflections
Short Story Longlist (in no particular order):
- Hardy Griffin – In Frankfurt
- Maureen Grosvenor – Uncle Edgar
- Henry Carlos Koike-Sieira – The 4 Train
- Ciaran Buckley – Hell
- David Renton – HORSA
- Dr. Irene Felipe – Positive
- Ade Cory – A Quiet Word
- Allan Hudson – Voyage of Hope
- Mark Grant – The Mine
- Nicola Wiggins – Rhyme Time
- Chad V. Broughman – Countdown to retirement
- Emily Zasada – The Memory Chamber
- Dennis Martin – McCauley’s Rising
- D. B. Gardner – Every Whistle Paints a Picture
- Miles Marinello – Reflections
- Sarah Sousa – Library of Things
- Margaret Emerson – The Black Egg
- Nola Rose Killpack – Green House
Flash Fiction Winning Entries
First Place
The Replacement
First Place in the Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction
New Flash Fiction by Morgan Karpiel
June 29th, 2023
Second Place
An Element of Time
Second Place in the Letter Review for Flash Fiction
New Flash Fiction by Dale Shank
June 29th, 2023
Third Place
Dislocation
Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Flash Fiction
New Flash Fiction by David Osgood
June 29th, 2023
Flash Fiction Shortlist (in no particular order):
- Morgan Karpiel – The Replacement
- Joshua Ritter – Goodnight, Mr. Halian
- Daan Spijer – Picture This
- John Siko – DETHRONED
- Dale Shank – An Element of Time
- David Osgood – Dislocation
Flash Fiction Longlist (in no particular order):
- Morgan Karpiel – The Replacement
- Oona Metz – The Flood
- André Bergeron – Lagrange Point One
- Joshua Ritter – Goodnight, Mr. Halian
- Philip Owens – Seasons
- David Martin Anderson – Life After Life
- Philip Schaefer – Fallen Angels
- Daan Spijer – Picture This
- Lawrence Patchett – Matchstick Factory
- Claire Massey – The Night the River Sang
- Janet Moore – Behold and Rejoice
- Cynthia Damon – THE CRUISE
- John Siko – DETHRONED
- Chris Barkley – Helgoland
- Dale Shank – An Element of Time
- David Osgood – Dislocation
Poetry Winning Entries
Joint First Place
Shell Music
Joint First Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry
New Poetry by Jennifer M. Phillips
June 29th, 2023
The Bones, Of Course
Joint First Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry
New Poetry by Rob Carney
June 29th, 2023
Joint Third Place
After a Massacre
Joint Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry
New Poetry by Abby E. Murray
June 29th, 2023
This poem is about how the apple in line 5 is like my heart
Joint Third Place in the Letter Review Prize for Poetry
New Poetry by Cory Henniges
June 29th, 2023
Poetry Shortlist (in no particular order):
- Katy Masterman – Staying Bitter
- Jane McNulty – What Happens After
- Mitch Rayes – The Other Side
- Abby E. Murray – After a Massacre
- Cory Henniges – This poem is about how the apple in line 5 is like my heart
- Debbie Collins – 4 a.m.
- Jennifer M. Phillips – Shell Music
- Rob Carney – The Bones, of Course
Poetry Longlist (in no particular order):
- Pella Winkopp – N. fowleri ate my brain.
- Ada Pendill – Emeralds, Gold, and Honey
- Katy Masterman – Staying Bitter
- Christine Siebels-Lindquist – EATING LILACS
- Doris Edmund McGehee – ONE THOUSAND AND TEN DOLLARS
- Jane McNulty – What Happens After
- Mitch Rayes – The Other Side
- Abby E. Murray – After a Massacre
- Sissel Almgren – Unlove
- Roberts ‘Bobby’ Jekabsons – JAZZ PLUMBING
- Chelsea Fox – as i sit waiting for you on our un-made bed
- Cory Henniges – This poem is about how the apple in line 5 is like my heart
- Debbie Collins – 4 a.m.
- Maya Sorini – A Proof
- Wendel Sloan – June 30, 1990
- Story Keatley – BIRD
- Jennifer M. Phillips – Shell Music
- Rob Carney – The Bones, of Course