Congratulations to the Winners of the 2021 Annual Writing Contest!
The 2021 Writing Contest presented 45 winners with 58 awards across the competition’s 20 categories. Winners are listed here by category and place standing. Winners are also listed in the November 2021 issue of SouthWest Sage, and most winning entries are included in SWW’s contest anthology — Ramblings & Reflections: Winning Words of SouthWest Writers’ 2021 Contest.
Animals
1st Place: Chris Allen, “Life With Mags”
2nd Place: Lynne Sebastian, “The Dude Abides”
3rd Place: Alane Brown, “Canine Therapy”
Biography
1st Place: Anna Sochocky, “An Annual Visitation”
2nd Place: Avraham Shama, “With Pens of Love and Grace”
Crime/Mystery
1st Place: Vanessa Foster, “The Game”
2nd Place: Dana Starr, “What the Fork”
3rd Place: Claire A. Murray, “After the Rush Fades”
Fantasy/Science Fiction
1st Place: Kimberly Rose, “Birds of a Feather”
2nd Place: Alane Brown, “Bone Listener”
3rd Place: Bailey Burck, “Gray Boy”
History
1st Place: Alane Brown, “The Escape”
2nd Place: Lynn Andrepont, “Crossed Paths”
3rd Place: Larry Baer, “Origins”
Horror/Suspense/Thriller
1st Place: Elise Phillips, “As Always”
2nd Place: Tony Major, “All in Your Mind”
Humor
1st Place: Michelle Smith, “Bitch Wings”
2nd Place: Chris Allen, “Life With Mags”
3rd Place: Kathleen Holmes, “A New Mexico Love Story”
Memoir
1st Place: Rebecca Dakota, “Stained-Glass Poppies”
2nd Place: Ed Lehner, “Katie”
3rd Place: Dana Starr, “To Jan, With Love”
Romance
1st Place: Marcia Meier, “Santa Anas”
2nd Place: Heather Bennett, “Amsterdam”
3rd Place: Alane Brown, “Sol and Terra: A Romance of Mythic Proportions”
Social Consciousness
1st Place: Tisha Reichle-Aguilera, “Cultural Inspection”
2nd Place: Conor McAnally, “The Psychiatrist’s Window”
3rd Place: Laurie Pals, “Snow Angels in Hell”
Spirituality
1st Place: Jenny Hansen, “Brotherly Love”
2nd Place: Joe Cappello, “The Secret of the Smiling Rock Man”
3rd Place: Meg Scherch Peterson, “El Estado del Alma”
Travel
1st Place: Laina MacRae, “Will You Let My Name Die?”
2nd Place: Elaine Montague, “The Matter of the Platter”
3rd Place: Lois Ruby, “Tender”
Poetry: Animals
1st Place: Alane Brown, “Nocturnal Awakening”
2nd Place: Maggie Griffin Taylor, “Joe the Dinosaur”
3rd Place: Alane Brown, “Catfish Reverie”
Poetry: Holidays
1st Place: Alane Brown, “Peter’s Pickled Peppers”
2nd Place: PK Hill, “Night in Childhood”
3rd Place: John Cornish, “Parade”
Poetry: Humor
1st Place: Alane Brown, “Eighteen-wheelers”
2nd Place: Lynn Assimacopoulos, “Someone Really Should”
3rd Place: Sue Ann Owens, “Kiss the Cook”
Poetry: Loss
1st Place: Maggie Griffin Taylor, “Journey”
2nd Place: Carlton Holte, “In Memoriam”
3rd Place: Lucy M. Quinn, “Dark Goodbye”
Poetry: Love
1st Place: Matthew Geyer, “Corner Table”
2nd Place: Donald DeNoon, “Feeling So Grownup”
3rd Place: Maggie Griffin Taylor, “Journey”
Poetry: Nature
1st Place: Carol Rawie, “Would You Build a House?”
2nd Place: Emmaly Wiederholt, “Soaked”
3rd Place: Meg Scherch Peterson, “Covid Stream”
Poetry: Social Consciousness
1st Place: Matt Nyman, “Not Doubting That Pendulums Swing”
2nd Place: Charles Powell, “Crying Man”
3rd Place: Dustin Ramsbacher, “Party at My Hanging”
Poetry: Spirituality
1st Place: Jennifer Mitchell, “Faith”
2nd Place: Anna Sochocky, “Time Between Hours”
3rd Place: Maggie Griffin Taylor, “Journey”
