We are pleased to announce the semi-finalists, finalists and winners of The William Van Wert Short Fiction Award. Please be sure to follow our blog, since we’ll be announcing the semi-finalists, finalists and winner of the final round of the award (2021/2022) shortly. Congratulations to all our writers. We appreciate each and every one of you, and are honored that you have shared your work with us. We are also grateful for your patience as we have worked to catch up on the delays and address the difficulties that the pandemic has caused our organization. Stay tuned; we plan to provide profiles of the winners of the last several cycles.
Please note that the William Van Wert Award is currently on hiatus while we finalize the decisions for the last round of submissions and make some decisions about the future of the award. We will not be accepting submissions for a 2022/2023 cycle. Updates will be posted on this blog in this regard as well.
2020/2021
Semi finalists
Alavi, Karima Abiquiu, New Mexico, “Whisper of a Bangkok Ghost”
Alpert, Mark, New York, NY, excerpt, The Emperor of Alabama
Alster, Pam, Los Angeles, CA, “A Holiday Affair”
Armstrong, Cameron, Balbriggan, Dublin, Ireland, “Pneumanauts”
Benedetti, Michael, Minneapolis, MN, “Decibels”
Borchers, Gavin, Florence, KY, “The Font of the Ancients”
Boyd, Maureen, Oakland, California, excerpt Half Child
Blackwood, Gary, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Canada, “The Monkey Forest”
Bruni, Giuseppina, London, UK “Dogs and “Shakespeare”
Casterine, Aubrey C., Elmira, New York, “A Pill for Your Thoughts”
Cavanaugh, Sean, West Hartford, Connecticut, “Together With Their Families”
Connelly, Mark, Milwaukee, WI, “Mornings With Walter”
Cook, Meg, Providence, RI, “River”
Creswell, Lynette, Immingham, N.E. Lincolnshire, UK “Malkin Tower”
Crisci, Kathleen, New York, NY, excerpt, The Music Teacher
Dinner, Greg, County Clare, Ireland, excerpt, A Requiem for Hania
Easer, Katherine, Los Angeles, CA, “The Remnants”
Ekstein, Sabryna, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, “I Think This is a Love Story”
Erwin, Katie, Charlotte, NC, “Worms in the Wood”
Gornick, Lisa, New York, NY, “The Arrangement”
Griffin, Hardy, Ithaca, NY, “Elbistan”
Griffin, Hardy, Ithaca, NY, “Losing Akay”
Grosel, Charles, Scottsdale, AZ, “Slapfight”
Holoboff, Elaine, Denver, CO, excerpt The Orchid Euglogy
Humason, Alan, Vancouver, Washington, “Massage”
Karni, Annie, Washington, D.C., “This Connection is Real”
Kenney, Richard, Jr., Tyler, TX, excerpt, The Key of Be
Kerr, Liz, Jenkintown, PA, “Snow Load”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, excerpt, Susanna
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “Western Wind”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “The Clumsy Maid”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “Squeak”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “Betrothed and Betrayed”
Lambridis, Scott, Placerville, California, “Silence”
LeQuick, Jeannette, San Francisco, California, “Conception”
Meyer, Paulina, Brooklyn, NY, “This Vessel Carries Far”
Nordhielm, Christie, Big Sur, CA, excerpt, No Strangers’ Hands
O’Brien, Samantha, Edinburgh, UK, “Zero Degrees Of”
Ogawa, Margaret Speck, Mercer Island, Washington, “The Joy of Sakura”
Porter, Benjamin, Seattle, WA, “Wherein Travis is Called Upon to Exercise the Five Rules”
Porter, Marsha, Sacramento, California, “The Gambler”
Presley, Joan, Reno, NV, “Skin Music”
Quick, Jeannette, San Fransisco, CA, “Conception”
Quinn, Jason, Honolulu, HI, excerpt, Concrete Rainbow
Reitman, Pamela, San Francisco, CA, “A Truer Life”
Sandmeyer, Stephanie M., Portland, Oregon, excerpt, Stumbleweed Valley
Schmidt Jan, New York, NY, excerpt, Sunlight Underground
Seiber, Lones, Morristown, TN, “A Scattering of Blue”
Smith, Carrie, New York, New York, “Speech Therapy”
Taylor, Abigail, Dallas, Texas, “A Home in Tishomingo”
Vander Salm, Thomas J. Salem, MA, excerpt, Maaijke
Weiner, J.E., Stanford, California, excerpt The Wretched and Undone
Wellington, Beth, Wellesley, MA, “Seeing the Snow”
Yates, Ron, Rome, GA, “Think Like a Journalist”
Finalists
Alavi, Karima Abiquiu, New Mexico, “Whisper of a Bangkok Ghost”
Alpert, Mark, New York, NY, excerpt, The Emperor of Alabama
Armstrong, Cameron, Balbriggan, Dublin, Ireland, “Pneumanauts”
Blackwood, Gary, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Canada, “The Monkey Forest”
Boyd, Maureen, Oakland, California, excerpt Half Child
Bruni, Giuseppina, London, UK “Dogs and “Shakespeare”
Casterine, Aubrey C., Elmira, NY, “A Pill for Your Thoughts”
Cavanaugh, Sean, West Hartford, Connecticut, “Together With Their Families”
Dinner, Greg, County Clare, Ireland, excerpt, A Requiem for Hania
Easer, Katherine, Los Angeles, CA, “The Remnants”
Gornick, Lisa, New York, NY, “The Arrangement”
Griffin, Hardy, Ithaca, NY, “Elbistan”
Griffin, Hardy, Ithaca, NY, “Losing Akay”
Kerr, Liz, Jenkingtown, PA, “Snow Load”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, excerpt, Susanna
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “Western Wind”
Konner, Mel, Avondale Estates, GA, “Betrothed and Betrayed”
Porter, Benjamin, Seattle, WA, “Wherein Travis is Called Upon to Exercise the Five Rules”
Sandmeyer, Stephanie M., Portland, Oregon, excerpt, Stumbleweed Valley
Schmidt Jan, New York, NY, excerpt, Sunlight Underground
Seiber, Lones, Morristown, TN, “A Scattering of Blue”
Smith, Carrie, New York, New York, “Speech Therapy
Taylor, Abigail, Dallas, Texas, “A Home in Tishomingo”
Vander Salm, Thomas J. Salem, MA, excerpt, Maaijke
Wellington, Beth, Wellesley, MA, “Seeing the Snow”
Yates, Ron, Rome, GA, “Think Like a Journalist”
Winner
Wellington, Beth, Wellesley, MA, “Seeing the Snow”
2019/2020
Semi-finalists
Abigail, Anne, Ridgewood, New York, “The Witch”
DeSalvo, Sarah, Bellingham, Massachusetts, excerpt, The Boy Who Can Change the World
Ehtesham-Zadeh, Suzi, Woodstock, Georgia, “Stealthy Freedom”
George, Senny, Brooklyn, New York, “Pottery”
Herwitz, Evelyn, Worcester, Massachusetts, “Ready for Anything”
Kaylor, Christina, Signal Mountain, Tennessee, excerpt, In the Land of Light and Beauty
Kerr, Brian, New York, New York, “Shujaa”
Koelsch, John, Salem, Virginia, “Of Milk Caramels & Other Joys and Sorrows”
Krautkramer, Kate, Yampa, Colora, “Molyneaux’s Problem”
La Chappelle, Bronxville, New York, “Monarchs”
Lavie, David, Brooklyn, New York, “Meow, Moscow”
McBride, Douglas, Citrus Heights, California, except A Bright American Future for the Dead
Richardson, Danielle, Bloomington, Indiana, “Mammie Loké”
Roy, Shambhavi, Saratoga, California, “Hornyka”
Schwandt, Stephen, Naples, Florida, “Kaminski’s Tale”
Smith, Maureen, Millea, Edina, Minnesota, “As It Was With Your Father”
Sprouse, Rachel, Atlanta, Georgia, “Flickers”
Wellington, Beth, Wellesley, Massachusetts, excerpt, The Lovers of Cordoba
Finalists
Abigail, Anne, Ridgewood, New York, “The Witch”
George, Senny, Brooklyn, New York, “Pottery”
Ehtesham-Zadeh, Suzi, Woodstock, Georgia, “Stealthy Freedom”
Kerr, Brian, New York, New York, “Shujaa”
Krautkramer, Kate, Yampa, Colora, “Molyneaux’s Problem”
Lavie, David, Brooklyn, New York, “Meow, Moscow”
McBride, Douglas, Citrus Heights, California, excerpt A Bright American Future for the Dead
Richardson, Danielle, Bloomington, Indiana, “Mammie Loké”
Roy, Shambhavi, Saratoga, California, “Hornyka”
Winner
McBride, Douglas, Citrus Heights, California, excerpt A Bright American Future for the Dead
2018/2019
Semi-Finalists
Ackerman, Hal, New York, New York, excerpt, 1957
Adams, Margaret, Burlington, Vermont, “Troubled Boats”
Adjmi, Corie, Brooklyn, New York, “Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie”
Bechtel, Dianne, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, “Pickled Eggs”
Bigelow, Kim, Edmond, Oklahoma, “We’ll Be There For You”
Bluck, Sylvia, Brighton, England, “The Accidental Time Traveler”
Bluck, Sylvia, Brighton, England, “The Displaced Persons Unit”
Brettkelly, Devan, San Francisco, California, “The V Formation”
Bridwell, Tim, Paris, France, “Mazuku”
Dawid, Annie, Silver Cliff, Colorado, “Acts of Nature, Acts of God”
Ellis, Elizabeth, Atlanta, Georgia, “Bird”
Ellis, Elizabeth, Atlanta, Georgia, “The Throne of Prussia”
Farria, DeWaine, Harrah, Oklahoma, “The Tap Cascade”
Farrington, Mark, Alexandria, Virginia, “Education”, excerpt Loss of Life
Goddard, Cyndi, Mill Valley, California, “Inside the Echo”
Gurfield, Joan, Santa Monica, California, “The Passion of Adrienne”
Harris, Jason, College Station, Texas, “If You Don’t Weaken”
Herbst, Laura, Portland, Oregon, “Towels, 1977-79”
Hobson, Christopher, Manchester, England, “Fairytale of the City”
Hubbell, Victoria, Columbia, Missouri, “Mrs. Noah – The Forgotten Story of the Ark”
Hunter, Sandra, Portland, Oregon, “Home is Where”
Kavanaugh, Frank, Austin, Texas, “Clemente”
Larkin, Robert, Waverly, Tennessee, “The Market”
Lawrence, Dan, Richmond, Virginia, “Eddie, Me and Janis”
Magner, James, Woodbridge, Connecticut, “Subplot”
McCoy, Maureen, Ithaca, New York, “Kimmy Wears White”
McInroy, Rob, Beverly, East Yorkshire, England, “A Chaos of Connections”
Melanson, Nicole, Reading, Massachusetts, “Superheroes”
Milla, Miah Jeffra, San Francisco, California, “Ain’t No Thing”
Miller, Lynn, Los Ranchos, New Mexico, “The Last Usher”
Murray, Barbara, Hawes, Yorkshire, England, “The Hanging of the Wensleydale Rioters”
Nardi, Marie, Natick, Massachusetts, “It’s Called Meat”
Palumbo, Kathryn, Stone Mountain, Georgia, “Ruth’s Ruby”
Pearce, Michael, Oakland, California, “Her Boyfriend”
Quinlan, Conor, West Hartford, Connecticut, “The Untimely Demise of Edward Finch”
Raedler, Sebastian, London, England, excerpt, What It Was Like to Be Alive
Reinhardt, Ben, Bedminster, New Jersey, “Excuse Me, Sir, May We Invade Your Home?”
Ridner, Destiny, Colorado Springs, Colorado, “The Houses on the Sea”
Robertson, Sandy, San Diego, California, “Totem”
Rogers, Marie, Brooker, Florida, “Bringing”
Ryan, Ronan, Dublin, Ireland, “Her Face in the Darkness”
Ryan, Ronan, Dublin, Ireland, “Tony, Falling”
Simurdiak, Joseph, Chiba-jen, Japan, excerpt, A Red Autumn Wind: The Tyrant’s Son
Small, Thomas, Skytop, Pennsylvania, “A Colony of Mutant Flamingos”
Spencer, Rosie, Brighton, England, “Ceta”
Sperling, John, Irvine, California, “Silent Treatment”
Stephens, Edward, Athens, Georgia, “A Different Emptiness”
Tanner, Joseph, Mesa, Arizona, “Blind Tom”
Waller, James, O’Fallon, Illinois, “Twilight Knockers”
Weed, Tim, Putney, Vermont, “The Havana Standard”
Weldon, Lucy, Dunsfold, Surrey, England, “Ultramarine”
Wilkes, Caine, Matthews, North Carolina, “Three in a Car”
Xu, Bailey, Hong Kong, China, “Framed”
Ytareh, Patricia, Zug, Switzerland, “The Fire Horse and the Wood Snake: A Fable”
Finalists
Adams,Margaret, Burlington, Vermont, “Troubled Boats”
Bigelow, Kim, Edmond, Oklahoma, “We’ll Be There For You”
Bluck, Sylvia, Brighton, England, “The Accidental Time Traveler”
Bluck, Sylvia, Brighton, England, “The Displaced Persons Unit”
Dawid, Annie, Silver Cliff, Colorado, “Acts of Nature, Acts of God”
Farria, DeWaine, Harrah, Oklahoma, “The Tap Cascade”
Farrington, Mark, Alexandria, Virginia, “Education”, excerpt Loss of Life
Goddard, Cyndi, Mill Valley, California, “Inside the Echo”
Herbst, Laura, Portland, Oregon, “Towels, 1977-79”
McInroy, Rob, Beverly, East Yorkshire, England, “A Chaos of Connections”
Melanson, Nicole, Reading, Massachusetts, “Superheroes”
Miller, Lynn, Los Ranchos, New Mexico, “The Last Usher”
Murray, Barbara, Hawes, Yorkshire, England, “The Hanging of the Wensleydale Rioters”
Raedler, Sebastian, London, England, excerpt, What It Was Like to Be Alive
Reinhardt, Ben, Bedminster, New Jersey, “Excuse Me, Sir, May We Invade Your Home?”
Ridner, Destiny, Colorado Springs, Colorado, “The Houses on the Sea”
Ryan, Ronan, Dublin, Ireland, “Her Face in the Darkness”
Ryan, Ronan, Dublin, Ireland, “Tony, Falling”
Sperling, John, Irvine, California, “Silent Treatment”
Stephens, Edward, Athens, Georgia, “A Different Emptiness”
Tanner, Joseph, Mesa, Arizona, “Blind Tom”
Weldon, Lucy, Dunsfold, Surrey, England, “Ultramarine”
Xu, Bailey, Hong Kong, China, “Framed”
Ytareh, Patricia, Zug, Switzerland, “The Fire Horse and the Wood Snake: A Fable”
Winner
Melanson, Nicole, Reading, Massachusetts, “Superheroes”
Hidden River Arts 