Category Archives: News

News about the site.

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.

STORY OF THE MONTH: December 2021

News

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

The finalists for December were:

Passage by Brian Maycock
Homecoming by Maggie Nerz Iribarne
Fish Rain by Deborah Tapper
At 84 You Keep Your Glass Half Full by Jennifer L. Freed

The winner of the December 2021 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Fish Rain

Deborah’s story is a brilliant blend of humour and poignancy, one of my favourite combinations.