The Story of the Week for April 27 to May 1 is…
The Week the Circus Came to Town by Bob Thurber
I had to appeal to my wife to break a tie for this week (Vlad Barbu penned the runner up, for what it’s worth). Bob’s combination of surrealism, humour, and edginess took the cake, though!
The Story of the Week for April 20 to 24 is…
Duplicitous Haunts by Sarah Scott
Redemption is a favourite theme of mine, and it’s at the core of this great story.
The Story of the Week for April 13 to 17 is…
The Things We Preserve by Bob Thurber
We certainly choose strange things to remember sometimes, small moments that stick with us for our whole lives. Another fantastic contribution from the author of the 2014 Story of the Year.
The Story of the Week for April 6 to 10 is…
Smaller Than You by Mark Farley
What can I say? Parallel and metaphor are easy paths to my heart (among, let’s be honest, many other literary soft spots). Strong writing, Mark.
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month. (Editor’s Note: By mistake, I included a March story, “Paradise”, in the list of February finalists, and left out “Tripping” by Caitlin McGill. To rectify the mistake, I am including Tripping in the list of March finalists.)
The finalists for March were:
Tripping by Caitlin McGill (see note above)
Striking Twice by Gina Lyle
On Fire by MJ Marggraff
Be Okay by Corey Niles
The winner of the March 2015 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
Striking Twice
Congratulations, Gina! What a creative, unique, and beautiful story.
The Story of the Week for March 30 to April 3 is…
Note Left on a Car in a Grocery Store Parking Lot by Cynthia Franks
Cynthia found a new and creative way to make use of the 50-word format, and developed a really strong character and plot. Great piece.
The Story of the Week for March 23 to 27 is…
Be Okay by Corey Niles
I’m impressed by the way the “It” of this story is left ambiguous, which allows it to enhance from the emotional significance of the story, and avoids any distraction with trying to understand the object or event. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what “It” is; it matters how “It” is impacting the characters. Brilliantly done, Corey!
The Story of the Week for March 16 to 20 is…
On Fire by MJ Marggraff
I really like the mix of sweetness and edge from the two characters. I end up rooting for them even though I know they’ve done something wrong! Great character development.
The Story of the Week for March 9 to 13 is…
Striking Twice by Gina Lyle.
Whimsical poetry hits a soft place in my heart, and Gina did a great job with this piece that reads like prose but feels like a poem.
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month. The finalists for February were:
Paradise by Matthew D Wheaton
Closing Time by Steve Lucas
Year’s End by Devon R Widmer
Death and I by Clio Velentza
This set of winners was among the strongest I’ve seen since the Story of the Month award began! It was hard to decide, but the winner of the February 2015 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
Closing Time
Congratulations, Steve!