Four Make the Shortlist for our December Writing Contest
We are so pleased to announce that FOUR writers have made the shortlist for our December Write Prompt Challenge.
We try to choose images that can take authors in countless directions, and the photo of a gate without a fence (submitted to us by Dwane Parsons) took people to some wild places. These writers approached the provided image with wonderfully unique views that were clever and surprising.
Congratulations to Andrea Bernard, Finnian Burnett, Desiree Kendrick, and N.E. Rule — we wish you well as you go on to the final stage of judging!
Andrea Bernard | shortlisted for the story, 'The Land Deal'
Andrea Bernard is a marine biologist. For most of her career she lived and worked in sunny South Florida, USA, but in April 2020, she returned home to the Toronto, Canada, suburbs, where she now lives with her husband and her dog, Indiana. Her short fiction work has been published in the Antigonish Review and On Spec.
Finnian Burnett| shortlisted for the story, 'Adam’s Side of the Gate'
Finnian Burnett is a writer whose work explores the intersections of the human body, mental health, and gender identity. They are a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts grant, a finalist in the 2023 CBC nonfiction prize, and a 2024 Pushcart nominee.
Their work appears in Blank Spaces Magazine, Reflex Press, The Daily Sci-Fi, and more. Their two novellas-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man and The Price of Cookies, are available through Ad Hoc Fiction and Off Topic Publishing respectively.
When not writing or teaching, Finnian enjoys cold weather hiking, Star Trek, and cat memes.
Desiree Kendrick | shortlisted for the story, 'Secret Agents'
Desiree’s writing has been published in literary magazines in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. A list of her publication credits can be found on her website at desireekendrick.com/published-work.
She loves to travel (except in a pandemic). She always jots in her travel journal, where you will find more than one humorous tale recorded in old-fashioned ink.
N.E. Rule | shortlisted for the story, 'Passing Through'
N.E. Rule attended Metropolitan Toronto University for business communications and creative writing. It wasn't until Covid that she had time to get back to her creative side. Her short story publishing credits include Black Hare Press, Off Topic Publishing, and Wyldblood Press.
Watch for our announcement of the top three in the coming weeks!
