Announcing the Winners of the 92nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition
Congratulations to the winners of the 92nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition! For an interview with the Grand Prize winner, see the November/December 2023 issue of Writer’s Digest. See which WD competitions are currently accepting entries at WritersDigest.com/wd-competitions.
Grand Prize
Adam Peltzman, “Debinar” (Mainstream/Literary Short Story). Read the short story here.
Memoir/Personal Essay
“Details and Aftershocks” by Gretchen Ayoub“Can AI Learn How It Feels to Cry?” by Melissa L. White“Where Western Civilization Took a Wrong Turn” by Jeff Miller“Confessions of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Name-Dropper: My Life Leading Up to John Lennon’s Last Interview” by Laurie Kaye“Heavenly Whispers or Earthly Echoes: The Voice of Religion” by Stoned Writer“Creativity is a process, answers not required” by Patricia Daly-Lipe“Eighteen Hundred Miles To San Francisco” by William Brent Heckler“Mountain Climbing for Beginners” by Ron Stempkowski“Showing Up Matters” by Georgina Dietz“Generations in Rome ” by Margaret Kasimatis
Honorable Mentions
“Motherhood’s Not in the Cards” by Linda Sharp“Can You Walk a Mile in the Shoes of a Quadriplegic” by Kathleen Jackson“It’s (Not) My Decision” by Margaret Feike“Tentacles” by Ella Rosewood“My Brother’s Family” by Sue Pearson“The “F” Word ” by Carrie Clements“While I’m Sinking” by Susan Tapia“Walk Softly but Carry a Big Shillelagh” by Mary Pat Burke“Plateau” by Sheryl Bize-Boutte“Memoir” by Makita Schichtel“ANCESTRAL MEMORIES: Three Generations of War” by Andrea L. Fisher“Water For Harley” by Norman M. Jacobs, MD, MS“TOUGH GIRLS ON EIGHT WHEELS” by Liz Alani“Three Stories” by Rick Niece“It Should Make You Uncomfortable” by Marissa Burr“Unboxing Barbie” by Lori Carson“Memories of a Coffee Snob” by Vicki L. Noll“Enough” by Lee Ann Farmer“My path to non-belief” by Todd Brewer“The Impatient Patient” by Mo Conlan“The Beginning of the End” by Erica Dixon“My Prophetic Path” by Sarah Blum“My Grandmother the Crone” by Bettie MacIntyre“Three Gifts” by Trina Chapman“Room 9” by Madeline Pace“Upstream” by LeeLee Goodson“Road Trip” by Barbara Talisman“Lessons of Christmas Long Ago” by Mary Pat Burke“Romantic Get Away” by Rochelle“IN MY ANCESTORS’ FOOTSTEPS” by Roger S. Glass“Unfinished Melody” by Aleane Fitz-Carter“And a Child Shall Lead Them” by Lucy McNiesh“WHORES NO MORE” by Pat Engelhardt“The Journey Home” by Nicholas Hormann“FAT” by Lyn Brakeman“What It’s Like to Kill Dogs: On Homecoming, Alienation, Reentry, and Belonging” by Benjamin Sledge“Burning Glenborough” by Linda Benning Rogers“Love In the Time of Covid-19” by Marze Murphy“My Dad Was Like a Sunflower” by Mary K. Hymel“My Old Dream” by Aleta Kazadi“Channeling” by Gerard Shields“Albatross” by Steve Watkins“Hubble” by Kara Rooney“The Dying House” by Lee Ann Farmer“Our Crew of Three” by Kimberly J. Ward“The Little Things That Run the World” by Ann Tiplady“Call Me Old, but Do Not Call Me Black” by Louise Blocker“A Journey of Resilience” by Chan Park“Barbara” by Richard Gartrell
Judge: RICHARD CAMPBELL is the co-author of Writing Your Legacy: The Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Life Story, published by Writers Digest Books. He has also presented life story sessions on several transatlantic crossings for Windstar Cruises. This is his third year judging for the WD competition. He lives near Toronto, Canada.
Inspirational/Spiritual
“White Rose Dumplings” by Genevieve Flintham“Rainbow’s Lament” by Andrea Mann“Extravagant Love” by Peggy Halter Morris“Boxing Glove Heart” by Allison Swenson“The Flowing” by Angela Townsend“The Whisper in the Wind” by H.E. Tankersley“Fly Robin Fly” by Robin Rogel“By Chance” by Sandra Homicz“Borrowed Beds and Tonka Truck” by Brian Thalhammer“The Perfect Day” by Christina M. Olson
Honorable Mentions
“Paper Crowns” by Alana Puskarich“What Counts?” by modphylo“PLANTS” by Brandi Dredge“Something for Nothing: Grace” by Richard Gartrell“At the End of the Street” by Susan Whitlock“Paper Shredder” by Allison Swenson“Everything’s All Right ” by E.G. Riley“PEACE” by Debra R Sanders“The Universe Has Your Back” by Kathleen Boucher“Breakfast is the New Dinner” by Leslie Switzer“Perihelion” by Allison Swenson“Choose Happiness” by Kayla Altman“Komorebi” by Preeti Priscilla“Does anyone know where the love of God goes?” by Patricia Cisarik“Tahiti-Exploring the Happy-Sad of Death in a Magical Land” by Melanie Purdy“When Darkness Comes” by Kayla Altman“Proclamation: Mother Earth” by J. Ann Clover“A Lesson in The Cherry Blossom Trees” by Kristi Lyons“I Am Responsible” by Teresa Shimogawa“Heart Arpeggio” by Penny Manson“Guiding Hand ” by Krista Johnston“When Goodness Is a Mystery” by Jenn Abel“Drop The Rocks” by Linda Reinhardt“A Dreamt Life ” by Richard K. Manigault“Starbound” by Alison Lloyd“THE LION’S ROAR” by Kathleen Jacobs“Loving What Death Can Touch” by Tess Enterline“Walking Momma to the Gate” by Gael Blake“Prayer Journal” by Eric Suben“God in a Clothes Basket” by Gayle Madison
Judge: SHARON NAYLOR TORIS is the author of 35 nonfiction books and two novels and has written for countless magazines and online sites, including Writer’s Digest, Oprah, First for Women, Brides, Bridal Guide, Southern Bride, and many others. She is a professional writing coach and editor and lives with her husband in the perfect writing town of Morristown, N.J
Children’s/Young Adult Fiction
“Never Read Alone” by Kathleen Jacobs“The Mother Goose Diner” by Thomas Donahue“Home” by A.B. Cromer“It’s About” by Thomas Donahue“Winkers and Slinkers and Four-Legged Stinkers: All About Critters” by Rick & Sheree Niece“Black Girls Count” by Shertena Hardman“Lickety Split” by Amy Vaughan“IDA PLUCK’S CLUCK” by Patti Richards“THE MOLLYS B.” by Joann Howeth“Hippo, Hippo, Please Don’t Eat Me” by Joan Daskalopoulos Selby
Honorable Mentions
“How The Goodles Saved Their Noodles” by Joan Daskalopoulos Selby“THE WISH GRANTER OF WAYWARD CATS” by Randi Lynn Mrvos“Tites & Mites” by Jeremiah Shaw“LINEBACKER BEAUTY QUEEN” by Joy Auburn“Mara’s Adventure” by Thomas Donahue”Roses for Renee” by Grace Penry“Fergus and The Freight Escape” by Aloysius Llewellyn“THOSE Books Are Banned” by Thomas Donahue“Every Trick in the Book” by Kathleen Jacobs“A High-Rise Halloween” by JR Parsons“The Gill Net” by Susan Lynn Zenker“MAKE ROOM FOR CHARLIE” by Sandra Bohman“Armadillo’s Song” by Barb Miller“Niamh of Lisanaar” by Aiden OSullivan“The War at My Doo” by Holli Hamner“The Hanging Tree” by Sherri Ashburner“TOMMY HATES NAPS!” by Kelly Jaggers Turner“Bubu’s Magic Pencil Rym Tina” by R.T.G. Bach“Magic at Tintagal Castle” by Pamela Mones“The Envious Moon” by J. A. Gilgan“FOX DIDN’T SLEEP A WINK” by Kathleen Jacobs“HERMIONE in The Super-Serious Maine Coon Fur Problem” by Kent Page McGroarty“Miss Hippo’s Tea Party” by Diana Smith“A See of Wonders” by Jessamine Watt“Goodbyes Are Important” by Gail Fontana“Neighborhoot Stories: Ollie the Owl” by Annie DeStefano“FairyCon” by Hazel Compton“Kairu’s Scary Adventure” by Lollie Hofer“PRACTICE MAKES BETTER!” by Dominique Okonkwo“What’s Lurking in the Fridge?” by Lisa K. Peek
Judge: RYAN IRELAND, Ph.D., is the author of two novels, Beyond the Horizon and Ghosts of the Desert. In 2022, he completed a 14-month, 49-state road trip in a 1979 VW bus, with his wife, Miracle. Together they produced a podcast called “So You Owned a VW Bus.”
Genre Short Story
“Stranger” by Jennifer Slee“An Offering to the Unkind” by D. B. Gardner“Cold Storage” by Jillian Shoichet“Nest Egg” by Jennifer Slee“Blood Rites” by Abigail F. Taylor“A Rare Gem” by Mary Jo Wyse“The Sunset Brigade” by Erin M. Chavis“Emergent Behavior” by Joseph Tappero“Ikon4” by W. Steve Wilson“First Flight” by John Arthur Neal
Honorable Mentions
“The Blue Door” by P.A.Mendez“Lament of the Star of the Sea” by Laura J. Veligor“You Get What You Get” by Jillian Grant Shoichet“Grýla Comes to Seyðisfjörður” by Dane Cobain“Lost and Discovered” by Jennifer Rose Ringler”Washing Light” by Ilari Pass“Finding a Moment of Peace” by A. D. Childers“The Rabbit’s Den” by Alexander Willging“Excess – A Winning Guide to the Late Capitalist Game” by Amanda Leon“The Midnight Mourning” by Art Haddaway“Weather Wars II” by M.T. Rizzo“Twice Pierced” by Joseph Tappero“The Singing of the Caged Bird” by George Hassanzadeh Nezam“Some Rebels Die Old” by Brian Huber“Spending Time with Sam” by Silke Chambers“Don’t Eat!” by Barbara Pattee“Fear In the North” by Sarah May“The Jungle” by L.B. Lax“From Russia, With Love” by Calla Roark“The Heirloom” by Robin Atwood“No Clouds, No Rain” by Drew Allen Dunn“On the Road to Bethel” by Sherene Gross“The Deliverables” by Reed Ramlow“DEATH—A MERE TECHNICALITY” by leslie wibberley“Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Sara Abrams“Where the Wild Rabbits Grow” by Jennifer Fryar“Hello! Is This Seat Taken?” by Elizabeth Asteri“Appalachian Love Songs” by J. H. Schiller“A Vast and Lonely Night” by Ryan Jones“Dulce Periculum” by Sabina Szczepanik“Company” by Jennifer Shaw“The Thunderbolt” by Clarence J. Croxford“Mysterious Depths” by Hannah Lavoie“In” by DK Benjamin“Lift Boy” by Iman Hamid“Marmor” by Victoria Marklew“Dancing Over the Keys” by Jennifer Ridge“Mama Luisa” by Thomas Bell“Julie’s First Birthday” by Jennifer Rose Ringler“Beginnings and Endings” by Kelly Thomas“The Woman in the Red Sleeping Bag” by Deann Zampelli“Murder in the Math Department: A Work Health and Safety Nightmare” by Eleanor Turner“Snow Fang and Tilka Man” by CJ Spear“Duck, Duck, Duck” by Sierra Zounes“Coming Home” by Calla Roark
Judge: AUDREY WICK is a writer and full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. She contributes to Writer’s Digest and also serves on the faculty of the San Miguel Literary Sala. Her work has been published in college textbooks by Cengage Learning and W. W. Norton, and her latest novel, Seeing Us, released in 2023. Connect with her on and Instagram @WickWrites.
Mainstream/Literary Short Story
“Her Teeth Marks Bones” by K.B. Winecap“How To Run a Bodega Successfully in the Boogie Down, NYC” by Ivan Suazo“Beware of Parrot” by Beth McMurray“Glendale Nights” by J. Fox Bedford“Ashes & New Year’s” by Stephania Jean“Dying Teddy Bears” by Peter Hankins“Fuck Everything and Run” by Elina Kumra“Under the Highway” by Tim Weed“Endling in Black and White” by Andres Di Bernardo“Putting it Out There” by Kevin Ramirez
Honorable Mentions
“Gettin’ Close” by Barb Miller“The Forgotten City” by JJ Lubinski“Exhaust Fumes” by Tyler Stallings“No. 1 Chinese Restaurant” by Brian Rohrig“Hugs N Kisses, Kelli-Ann” by Tyler Green“Write What You Know” by Axel Forrester”7 Hours of Unemployment” by NTENDENI LUVHENGO“The Symphony” by R.A. Grando“Moth and Spider” by C.R. Kane“Things that Grow in the Shade” by Rachael Spavins“Lavender” by Marilyn Hope“Decapitated At Work ” by William Steffen“Fly Away, Fly Away” by Rea Keenan“Kryptonite” by Thomas Henry Strenk“Roots” by Pam Richards“Self-Portrait as My Father’s Hands” by Suzanne Honda“Three Things” by Ann B Faison“Emerald City” by david bobrow“Parenthesis” by Doug Baldwin”Fragments” by Tanya Menoni“Skin” by Caitlin Gunthorp“Florida Air” by Galina Hitching“Circe’s chattel” by Ladislaus Attila“Shanda” by Sophie Newman“Perfect Drunk” by Mark Edwin“Sunny at the Wharf” by Ceilidh Michelle“Unraveled” by Richelle Putnam“Island Hopper” by Jessica Stone“The Trading Post at the End of the Road” by Cynthia Canada“Anomaly” by Laurel Sharon“Potcake” by Theresa Queen“Sad Eyed Jesus” by Alan S. Falkingham“The Alley Hunter” by JD Clapp“Dreams That Dillon Gave Me” by Charly Chow“Seabirds” by Tim Weed“The Letter” by Yi Nan“Westside Deli & Grocery” by Sofia Ziman“At the Monkey Bar with Imelda” by Timothy O’Neill“The Man of My Dreams” by Melissa Naatz“Rose-Iris in the Park” by Linda Kaye-Moses“Mother’s Day” by Bolashade Hanson“Aokigahara” by Rebecca Hansen“The Barefoot Followers of Sweet Potato Grace” by Megan Okonsky“3THE INNER MUSIC6” by MAL G KING“Constellation” by Kelly Beachell“The China Teapot” by Angela Vidmar“The World Vermilion” by Elina Kumra“The Snow Sprite” by J. Mackenzie“Selfish” by Icarus
Judge: KRYSTEL CHENAULT is a writer and editor for an education publisher, a Ph.D. candidate, and a lifelong creative writer. She earned her B.A. in creative writing and M.A. in composition and rhetoric and taught college writing for many years before transitioning to the publishing world. She can usually be found writing horror stories, looking at bugs in the forest, and not working on her dissertation.
Rhyming Poetry
“Elocution Lesson” by Mary-Jane Holmes“Requiem for a God” by Jacob Schapiro“The Ocean Spoke” by Katherine Greene Lewis“Rodin, Balzac, and The Thinker” by E.M. Schorb“A Nod to Yesterdays” by Minh-Tam Le“The Smell of Sundays” by Hayley Pisciotti“Ambered” by Daniel Brown“Rural Routes” by Landon Porter“The Falling” by Michael Olson“A So-Called Easy Stroll Around the Park” by Yvonne T. Samuels
Honorable Mentions
“mists of time” by jsburl“Cave Painting ” by Donald Nickel“Hope Dies Last” by Sharon Kane“The Forgotten Muscles” by Elias Redwan“No End” by Daniel Brown“The Lost Sonnets of Tarn” by KD Battle“unmaking” by Austin Hehir“Sonnet II” by Dennis Todd“OFF-KILTER WINTER TABLEAU” by Victoria Mary Fach“Craft Lesson from Le’Veon Bell” by Daniel Brown“Narcissus” by Stephen Pollock“Trust Me!” by Emily Kastens“Seeds” by Stephen Pollock“The Pact” by Dennis Todd“Birdbrained” by Lauren de Vore“Crumbs” by Debbie Abbott“By Wretched Faith” by C.G. Sweet“The Bubble Man” by Landon Porter“Dad By Choice” by John Stephen Davis“Wildflowers” by Anna G Johnson“The Miner” by Thorwald“Veteran vs. Shopping Carts” by John Stephen Davis“Until Seasons” by Dawn Mach“Necromantic Hopes” by Kevin Hauger“The Magdalene Effect” by Sam Crowley“End of Group Therapy” by John Stephen Davis“a basketballer’s ditty ” by C. Behrens“Audrey Hepburn” by Randall Rickman“Flower Myth” by Stephen Pollock“This Garden of Slantwise Thought” by Patrick Walker“Manjimup” by Jessamine Watt“Cooking with Wine” by Graham Kash“Terza Rima Elegy” by K. M. McKnight“The Apartment Building Bore” by Rocky Leplin“Range” by Graham Kash“Axident” by Webb Smith“Her Garden” by Corvus Savage“The Gift” by Suzanne Blaise“The Disabled Veterans Counselor Shirt” by John Stephen Davis“The Canoe” by Karla Wotruba“En Cantas” by JM Fletcher“Fine Royal Frippery” by Dawn Mach“In the Park” by Graham Kash”American Teeth” by Norman Goodwin
Judge: RJ CLARKEN writes humorous, poetic form rhyming poetry and middle-grade historical fiction. Her work has been published in Writer’s Digest, M√∂bius, Asinine Poetry, Measure Review, USAToday.com, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, and other literary journals. She is the author of two books, Mugging for the Camera and Penny Wishes, and she was the editor of Goldfinch for five years.
Non-Rhyming Poetry
“The Souls” by E.M. Schorb“Saint Anthony” by Katie Cavicchio“An Awakening of Girls” by Katie Cavicchio“Like-Like” by MARIKA LITRAS“Soft Pretzels” by Allison Swenson“A VIEW FROM NEBO” by Chuck Collins“Treasure” by Tricia Elliott“La Cocina” by Jahleen Turnbull-Sousa“Sailorboy (Fleet Week)” by Eileen Malone“Sparkly Enough” by Jess L. Parker
Honorable Mentions
“Speed Trap” by Ockert Greeff“Robin Redbreast” by Kathleen King“Fishing With Blue” by Kai Black“What My Uncle’s Dead Lovers Left Behind” by Mickie Kennedy“Non-Rhyming Poetry: Sensation” by Erin Schalk“A Sheep in a CT Scanner” by Amy Haddad“The Story of My Towing” by Janice Zerfas“Pants on Fire” by Carrie Osborne“Removing the Feeding Tube” by Mickie Kennedy“Sophomore Year” by Rebecca Buller“Ash” by Allison Swenson“Re-education Centre” by Dean Gessie“Saguaros” by Stephen Pollock“Bisquick” by Wanda Freeman“Deadweight” by Rebecca Buller“Next in Line” by Jonathan Greenhause“Jasmine Rice” by Saitharn Im-Iam“Boogeyman” by Lina Buividavičiūtė, translated from Lithuanian by Ada Valaitis“When the Woodpecker Knocks” by Tricia Elliott“Holiday Oil” by Katie Cavicchio“Daily Distortions of Dumb-Fuck-Shittery” by Michelle Chan“I Take What’s Mine” by Judith Vaughn“Samhain” by Tricia Elliott“Summer in Fall Creek” by Marika Litras“Gallery Park” by Allison Swenson“Retraction” by Sidney Jones Jr“Red Pail Lady” by Gail Silver“Growing Old” by wren“Go” by Mary Paulson“Girl On Crutches” by John Stephen Davis“Miraculous Extremities” by Ellen Peckham“A Field Plowed Late” by Rodney Lee Aldrich“St. Edward and Isadore Church; Exeunt, Pursued by a Bear ” by Jill Madden Melchoir“Ode to My Mother’s Hands” by Elizabeth Toner“Florian” by Constance Hanstedt“Introduction to Hunting” by John Stephen Davis“Refrigerator Mother” by Kathleen King“Treasures On Towpath” by Marika Litras“Bucks County” by Alessandra Allen“Together Still” by Joyce Petrichek“Supernova” by Pamela Hines“Jibber-jabber man” by Tara“Chasing Kites” by Adina Lynn LeCompte“Perspective” by Allison Swenson“故乡 in retrospect” by Claire He“Too Long Without a Sunset” by Heidi Dezember“FORGIVING FATHER” by Julia Ergovich“Crucible” by A.C.S. Bird“In Perpetuity” by Charissa Campes“Ode to the Typewriter” by Adina Lynn LeCompte
Judge: JOHN PHILIP DRURY is the author of five full-length poetry collections: The Disappearing Town and Burning the Aspern Papers (both from Miami University Press), The Refugee Camp (Turning Point Books), Sea Level Rising (Able Muse Press), and The Teller’s Cage: Poems and Imaginary Movies (Able Muse Press, forthcoming in January 2024). He has also written Creating Poetry and The Poetry Dictionary, both from Writer’s Digest Books. His awards include a Pushcart Prize, an Ingram Merrill Foundation fellowship, two Ohio Arts Council grants, and the Bernard F. Conners Prize from The Paris Review. He is an emeritus professor of English at the University of Cincinnati and lives with his wife, fellow poet LaWanda Walters, in a hundred-year-old house on the edge of a wooded ravine.
Humor
“For Better or For Louse” by Emily Hampson“Missed Connection” by Andrea Buck“The Frying Pan” by Allie Akmal“Unfortunate Pilgrim” by Michael Grady“Hugo Saves a Wayward Nation” by Eric Kightley“Catch and Release” by Emma Grace Myers“I Should “No” Better” by Patricia Stettler“Breaking and Entering” by Colleen Markley“My Conversation with ChatGPT Regarding the Inauthenticity of Pre-Recorded Announcements” by Kevin Sherman“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Decorum” by Laura La Sottile
Honorable Mentions
“Scott Joplin is in the House” by Cecilia Lynn“Without a Single Curtsy or Cartwheel” by Lorne Hallendorff“In the Service of Mr. Persnickety” by Diantha Ellis“Stephen King and the Elevator Shaft Redemption” by Philip Barry“Pride & Perimenopause” by Christie Ellen“Battle of the Brain” by Deanna Hahn“Charm School Dropout” by Sharon kramer“The Sneeze” by Rodney Lee Aldrich“Luddite? Or Just Old?” by Andra Marquardt“Mountain of Mayhem” by Colleen Markley“The Queen’s Slippers ” by Angela Vidmar“Don’t Bite Your Lip” by Ann Fears“An Honest Review of Rhode Island’s Bike Paths” by Amanda Redinger“’I’ve Got the Clap!’ (CLAP, clap CLAP-CLAP, clap-CLAP, clap-CLAP)” by Donald W. McCormick“Cockles” by Matt Matthews“Hebert” by Sarah Murphy“Estate Sale” by Rosanne Gordon“Not All Kind Creatures” by Kara Roberts“What’s for Dinner” by Julie Fiedler“My Christmas Confession” by Emily Hampson“Oscar Night 1998” by Deborah Weesner Levine“AIR SHOWS AND OPEN HOUSES POSSIBLE READINESS THREATS” by Scott Hastings“La Dolce Vita” by Roy Schmadeka“Never Again, Until Next Time” by Desiree Smith-Daughety“The Pineapple Upside Down Cake Incident” by Geoffrey K. Graves“When Cultures, Glasses, and Jim Collide” by George A. Smith“Plant-based Panic” by Gabe Capone“On Being Charlie Brown” by Rebecca Spohn“Mondegreens and Memories” by Monda Kelley
Judge: RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE is Editor for Bushel & Peck Books and has authored 20+ books, including The Weekend Book Proposal (WD Books). As The Picture Book Whisperer, Ryan helps celebrity clients write stories for kids and bring them to life on the page, stage, and screen.
Nonfiction Essay or Article
“Batgirl’s Last Ride” by Nancie Erhard“In Defense of Baroque” by Michael Muroff“Pulling Down Clouds” by Rebecca L. Rhoades“Stalkers: The Fungus That Lives Among Us” by Kathryn Caraway“Dead End: New Orleanians’ Final Resting Places (The History of New Orleans Cemeteries) ” by Kathy Bradshaw“The Holy Righteous Queen Tamar: Christian King of Medieval Georgia” by Angela Waldron“THE WOODEN NICKEL: THE TRUTH ABOUT THE INHUMANE EFFECTS POWER, CONTROL, AND ABUSE OF AUTHORITY HAVE ON OUR SOCIETY.” by Pat Engelhardt“Bullying—Issues and Solutions” by Abir Wood“If Looks Could Kill: The Power of the Evil Eye” by Angela Waldron“A History of Silence” by Laurie Paternoster
Honorable Mentions
“Juneteenth: The Remembrance of Humankind’s Opposition to Freedom and Justice” by Dorothy Wells“A Trip to the African Burial Ground National Monument” by Paul Paradise“Bigger Than the Broken Pieces” by Lynne M. Smelser“Grain Expectations” by Rebecca L. Rhoades“Sick to Death: The Many Deadly Plagues of New Orleans” by Kathy Bradshaw“Making the Cut: New Orleans’s Top Serial Killers” by Kathy Bradshaw“The Integration of Oak Ridge, Tennessee: A Unique Perspective (Part 2 in a Series)” by Rachael M. Colby“Why Are Teens So Tired? How to Amp Up Sleep and Fight Exhaustion” by Holly Rizzuto Palker“Michigan Artists Series: Maija Grotell, The “Mother of American Studio Ceramics” by Emil Burkhart“Mami Wata and the Black Mermaids” by Elaine Howley“Suni Lee: Shining Gold on the Hmong Community Ember Reichgott Junge“The 1958 Battle of Maxton, North Carolina: How the Lumbee Indians Drove the Ku Klux Klan Out of Town” by Forest Jones“Tridevi-Three Goddesses” by Sankalp Gautam“Taking on Parkinson’s Disease Together” by Ember Reichgott Junge“Friend or Faux? A Look at How Much France Has Really Influenced New Orleans” by Kathy Bradshaw“Michigan Artist Series: Mary Chase Perry Stratton’s Pewabic Pottery: A Detroit Legacy” by Emily Burkhart“Edgar Allan Poe: The Master of Horror” by Kara Swartzentruber“A Nerd Reviews Fifty Shades of Grey” by Richard Fencel“Shooting the Falls” by Elaine Howley“Point of Vieux: What the Vieux Carré Commission Is Really About” by Kathy Bradshaw“Insights from a Near-Death Experience” by Chetan S. Sankar“The Climb” by Ember Reichgott Junge“Why I Chose an Assisted Living Facility in India for My Mother” by Jaya Padmanabhan”I Can Stand Straight Both Inside and Outside” by Ember Reichgott Junge“Sepsis: What if the public took charge?” by Kim Neudorf“Stockholm Trains” by Paddy Kelly“ESCAPE TO FREEDOM” by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds“Sherry Gordy Takes the Stage in the World of Business” by Sheryl Aronson“Animals Who Talk, Sing, and Dance” by Richard Carrico“Lady Lazarus and the Deterioration of Sylvia Plath’s Mental Health Poem Analysis” by Sara Aziz
Judge: KELLY BOYER SAGERT is a full-time freelance writer from the Cleveland, Ohio area. She served as sole scriptwriter for Trail Magic: The Grandma Gatewood Story, an historical documentary that was nominated for an Emmy Award. She has written dozens of books, both under her own byline and ghostwritten, and ghost blogs for numerous companies. Boyer Sagert has taught classes for Writer’s Digest University since its inception in February 2000.