We are thrilled to announce the winners of our 2017 Poetry and Fiction Contests, as selected by our esteemed judges Jónína Kirton (poetry) and Sigal Samuel (fiction). Please join us in congratulating the authors!
Congratulations to the winners of our 2017 Annual Poetry and Fiction Contests!
Announcing the winners of our contests! Top two winners of each category will be published in the upcoming issue of Room, 41.2. We are always thankful for the willingness of writers to share their work with us, and the generosity of our esteemed judges Jónína Kirton (poetry) and Sigal Samuel (fiction). Shortlisted pieces can be found HERE.
Fiction:
First place: “Eat Me” by Allison Graves, St. John’s, Newfoundland
Allison Graves received her BA in English Literature from Dalhousie University and her MA in Creative Writing at Memorial University, where she wrote a collection of short stories about non-places called Soft Serve. Her work has appeared in Riddle Fence Magazine, The Impressment Gang and The Overcast. She lives and works in Newfoundland.
Second place: “Dryden, the end of August 1995” by Susie Taylor, Harbour Grace, Newfoundland
Susie Taylor is a queer writer who lives in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland. Her work has appeared in Riddle Fence and PULP Literature. In 2015 she won the NLCU Fresh Fish Award for emerging writers and in 2016 she won the Riddle Fence Leaside Fiction contest.
Honourable mention: “Dead Amy” by Michelle Kelm, Vancouver, British Columbia
Michelle Kelm is a Vancouver-based writer and professional dog-mom. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is currently working on a collection of flash fiction and prose poetry.
Poetry:
First place: “Clean/Fly/Plum” by Tasslyn Magnusson, Prescott, Wisconsin
Tasslyn Magnusson received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She writes poetry for adults and poetry and fiction for children. She is especially interested in giving voice to truth and memory and the possibilities of justice and forgiveness through words.
Second place: “Hippocrene” by Ellie Sawatzky, Vancouver, British Columbia
Ellie Sawatzky’s writing has appeared in Room, Prairie Fire, The Puritan, FreeFall, 30 Under 30: An Anthology of Canadian Millennial Poets, Best New Poets 2014, and elsewhere. She was a finalist for the Frog Hollow Press Chapbook Contest, and her first chapbook is forthcoming in 2018.
Honourable mention: “mother’s tongue” by Kiran Dhaliwal, Vancouver, British Columbia
Kiran is a student at UBC completing her Major in English. She was born and raised in Squamish, BC, but currently resides in Vancouver, BC. During her time at Capilano University, she was the editor and online marketing coordinator of The Liar Zine. Kiran’s writing is not only for herself, but also an ode to all the women in her life who have shaped who she is today with their help and guidance. For more poetry, follow her on Instagram at @kiranstagram and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kiranthewriter
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Wondering what, exactly, it takes to win a Room contest? The honourable mentions above will be published soon on the Room website!
Our Cover Art Contest is closing at the end of the month! Submit your visual art by November 30th. Click HERE for details.
Our second annual Short Forms Contest has also officially opened. Consider submitting any flash prose or poetry to us by January 15, 2018. The top two entries will be awarded $500, and published in issue 41.4. Submit HERE.