Category Archives: News

News about the site.

STORY OF THE MONTH: February 2022

News

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for February were:

Not Yet by Rebecca Cuthbert
Gift From the Sea by Giulietta Nardone
A Child Overhears by Larina Warnock
Quiet Time by Chris Millis

The winner of the February 2022 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

A Child Overhears

Larina crafted a character and an affect that resonates all too painfully, hopefully inviting us to make a positive difference for real-life “characters” like these.

STORY OF THE MONTH: January 2022

News

Embarrassingly, I seem to have forgotten to select a Story of the Month for January, so here it is, over a month late!

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.

The finalists for January were:

Point Price by Salman Ansari
Aging Children I Am One by Laura C. Alonso
A Lesson In Botany by Jenna Manley
Cherry Blossom by Tim Boiteau
Hurt is Homeless by John Lovell
After My Mother’s Stroke, My Parents Refuse Assisted Living by Jennifer L. Freed
Ripples (Another Misadventure of the Broken Boys) by Bob Thurber

The winner of the January 2022 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Cherry Blossom

I think the thread of comments on this story does an excellent job of laying out its merits, so I invite you to read those (and contribute comments on daily stories, in general!).

2021 Story of the Year Winner

News, Stories

The winner of the 2021 Story of the Year, along with the $50 prize and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, is:

A man (not her husband) by N. West Moss

The true challenge of the 50-word format is finding a way to express real depth and bring the reader on a journey. The emotional journey of this story is so rich and complex, from the wondering and uncertainty to the bittersweet juxtaposition of the absence against the dancing, not to mention the implied complication of “not her husband” underlying it all. Thank you to N. West Moss for sharing this with the site!

Honourable mentions go to I Call My Mother by Jennifer L. Freed, Righteous Defiance, Newfoundland 1951 by Tawnia Courage, and Only a Minor Miracle by Sam Hall.

2021 Story of the Year Finalists

News

Here are the twelve incredible finalists for the 2021 Story of the Year award!

JANUARY: Homecoming by Finn Burnett
FEBRUARY: I Call My Mother by Jennifer L. Freed
MARCH: Bonkers by Robert Markovich
APRIL: A man (not her husband) by N. West Moss
MAY: Righteous Defiance, Newfoundland 1951 by Tawnia Courage
JUNE: Father’s Day Again (For Sarah Kate 1980 – 2010) by Bob Thurber
JULY: Takiwatanga by Deirdre Smith
AUGUST: They all Take her Photo in the Lounge by Marie Little
SEPTEMBER: Moment by Fiona Kamal
OCTOBER: The Man at the Door by Cathrine Goldstein
NOVEMBER: Only a Minor Miracle by Sam Hall
DECEMBER: Fish Rain by Deborah Tapper

The winner, as chosen by editor Tim Sevenhuysen, will be announced on Sunday, January 30!

The prize for the Story of the Year winner is:

  • $50 (Canadian)
  • Enshrinement in the 50WS Hall of Fame

Let everyone know your favourite story in the comments!

Throwback: In 2014, Bob Thurber won the Story of the Year award with his piece The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter. In 2015, Guy Preston took the prize with One Job Away From Retirement. The 2016 winner was Jennifer L. Freed, for Aunt Peg. In 2017, Constellations by Jonathan Kosik won the award. In 2018, Bob Thurber won his second Story of the Year award for The Summer of Sweet Mary (circa 1972). In 2019, Evan McMurry won the Story of the Year for After the Water. The 2020 story of the year was Your Pills by Jennifer L. Freed.