Category Archives: News

News about the site.

2017 Story of the Year Winner

News

The winner of the 2017 Story of the Year, along with the $50 prize and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, is:

Constellations by Jonathan Kosik

From the first time I read this story, I was fascinated by the magical moment it portrayed, and by how deftly that moment is held separate from the terrifying context it is placed in. The reader is transported into something so very special, this whirling and intimate playtime between parent and child, and then one simple sentence grounds the entire thing. It’s gut-wrenching, and yet it remains beautiful, and the moment continues; the whirling continues. It’s joy and fear; it’s life. What a ride.

Honourable mention to My Father, in Worcester, Massachusetts by Jennifer L. Freed (who won the 2016 story of the year, by the way, and no, that didn’t factor into my choice this year!).

2017 Story of the Year Finalists

News

The quantity and quality of stories submitted to 50WS keeps rising, making 2017 an excellent year for our little corner of the microfiction world.

Here are the 12 Story of the Month winners for 2017.

JANUARY: Arte Verborum by Ingrid Jendrzejewsky
FEBRUARY: Over by Joan Trueman
MARCH: Constellations by Jonathan Kosik
APRIL: Window Shopper by Susan Gale Wickes
MAY: My Father, in Worcester, Massachussetts by Jennifer L. Freed
JUNE: Table Manners by Christina Dalcher
JULY: Backtrack by B.C. Nance
AUGUST: Multiple Choice by Tracy Fells
SEPTEMBER: Mutant by Boomer Trujillo
OCTOBER: Surprise by John Fowler
NOVEMBER: The Goldilocks Zone by Viv Burgess
DECEMBER: They Only Ask, What’s Next? by Kara Johnson-Martinez

The winner, as chosen by editor Tim Sevenhuysen, will be announced on Saturday, February 3!

The prize for the Story of the Year winner will be:

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

Let everyone know your favourite story in the comments!

Throwback: In 2015, Bob Thurber won the Story of the Year award with his piece The Mapmaker’s Calligraphist Daughter. In 2016, Guy Preston took the prize with One Job Away From Retirement. The 2017 winner was Jennifer L. Freed, for Aunt Peg.

STORY OF THE MONTH: December 2017

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:

Never Grow Up by Ksenia Bezvikonnaya
New Beginnings by Joey To
Hopeful by Maura Yzmore
The Cruelest Part by Dave Novak
Happy New Year by Mary Steer
They Only Ask, What’s Next? by Kara Johnson-Martinez

The winner of the December 2017 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

They Only Ask, What’s Next?

The story explored a thematic space that is a little less common among the submissions I see, but is obviously a very important moment in life for many people. The use of “show, don’t tell” is excellent, and I also appreciate the technical skill Kara demonstrated by using the title to enhance the story in a powerful, yet subtle way.