The theme for January's Chattanooga Writers' Guild contest was "Uncertainty." Out of 11 entries, we have two winners.
Judge Ann Thornfield-Long had this to say about judging January's submissions: "Judging them was extremely difficult because each entry had at least one perfectly wrought image that took my breath away. We have some tremendous writers in this group and I am so happy to be among them and learn from each of you. Congratulations to all of you!"
In poetry, our winner is John C. Mannone with his poem "Mother's Secret."
Liquor ambers the crystal glass, whose stem rises from the licorice-black lacquer of the Baby Grand. In the half-shade of morning, between sweet sips, her fingers glide over the keys. The sonata intoxicates her ear deaf to the sound of her son entering the room, to the spilling of secrets.
John C. Mannone has poems appearing in North Dakota Quarterly, Le Menteur, Blue Fifth Review, Poetry South, Baltimore Review. A Jean Ritchie Fellowship winner in Appalachian literature (2017), he served as celebrity judge for the NFSPS (2018). His poetry won Bloodroot’s award and Impressions of Appalachia Creative Arts Contest (2020). He edits poetry for Abyss & Apex and other journals. A retired physicist, John lives near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Learn more at jcmannone.wordpress.com
In prose, our winner is Calvin Beam with his fiction story, "The Least Expected Day." Calvin Beam writes humorous fantasy and thriller stories from his home in Chattanooga. His short stories have appeared in five collections and have been recognized by the Chattanooga and Knoxville writers' guilds. He is a former journalist and a past guild officer. Originally from Philadelphia, he finds the pace of Southern living suits him just fine.
Read "The Least Expected Day" here.
February's contest theme is "Hope." Our judge will be Finn Bille, assisted by Karen Phillips and Kate Landers.
Finn has been writing poetry since his teenage years in Copenhagen, Denmark. His published poetry collections are Waking Dreams, Elsinore, Denmark, 1986; Rites of the Earth, Chattanooga, TN, 1994; Fire Poems, Chattanooga, TN, 2011; and The King's Coin: Danish-American Poems, Chattanooga, TN, 2020. Fire Poems and The King's Coin are for sale at Winder-Binder on Frazier Avenue.
A Charter member and twice board member of the Chattanooga Writers Guild, Finn has judged several contests for the Guild. He looks forward to reading your work.
To learn more about the Chattanooga Writers’ Guild, please visit them online at chattanoogawritersguild.org
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