Literary Awards Program

Dogs in Guatemala

By: Patricia Grace King – Posted: December 15, 2009

All the dogs in Guatemala are like this. It’s what Laurie wants to tell her, this college sophomore crying in the street over yet another brutalized puppy, except she can’t imagine a worse moment for explanations. “Come on, Arabella.” Laurie touches the girl’s sharp-boned back. “We can’t just hang around out here. Not in the [...]

Welcome To Acronym, Inc.

By: Thomas Sullivan – Posted: December 7, 2009

About six months ago I was reading through an email from an action group and a light bulb went off in my mind. The message encouraged me to support the JUSTICE (Judicious Use of Surveillance Tools in Counter-terrorism Efforts) Act, which I did. But what caught my attention was the acronym. I sat there staring [...]

In The Land of Cane, by Mark Shannon

Mark Shannon is one of the 2009 Awards Program finalists.  Below is an excerpt from the prologue and first chapter of his entry, In The Land of Cane.

Where Luck Lies, by Mary Larkin

2009 SFWP Awards Program finalist Mary Larkin presents Where Luck Lies. This story has since been published in Shenandoah .

The Revelation of Everything (excerpt)

By: Rion Amilcar Scott – Posted: November 20, 2009

Snow fell again like feathers tumbling from the sky and when they hit the concrete, they dissolved into a clear liquid.

The old joke that Phoenix used to tell Jalen when it snowed back in Cross River was that he’d spotted two snowflakes that were exactly alike. It was never that funny, or even original, but year after year he’d tell it and cackle as loudly as he did the first time Pop Pop or his father (he couldn’t remember who told him the joke) first said it way back when he was five or six. Now, Jalen wasn’t around to hear the joke. Cliff was, but he was a poor substitute. It seemed he had forgotten how to laugh.

Excerpt from Henry’s Secret, by Robert Gately

From 2009 Literary Awards Finalist Robert Gately comes Henry’s Secret.

The Heart Is a Slow Learner, by Mary Larkin

2009 SFWP Awards Program finalist Mary Larkin presents The Heart Is a Slow Learner. This story has since been published in The Red Mountain Review.

What About This One? by John Kenneth Jensvold, conclusion

What About This One? by John Kenneth Jensvold, part two

What About This One? by John Kenneth Jensvold, part one

John Jensvold is a 2009 Literary Awards Program Finalist. His entry, What About This One?, will appear in three parts this week.