Black Lawrence is excited to close out August with an exciting announcement: we have the short list for the Spring 2019 Black River Chapbook Competition! From a record-breaking 800+ entries, we’ve narrowed things down to 12 semi-finalists and 8 finalists. (As always, this was definitely not easy! We read and agonized over many more than this short list of fantastic entries. There are excellent manuscripts that aren’t reflected in this list, and there were a few chaps we loved that were withdrawn along the way. We appreciate every one of you deeply. Please keep making our jobs difficult.)
Entries were read without identifying information by an editorial panel consisting of judges (published and forthcoming Black Lawrence chapbook authors) and BLP editors. Entries were kept anonymous until today–so we can unveil the lists to you!
To all the semi-finalists, congrats & thank you! We will announce the winner from among our list of finalists shortly.
FINALISTS (alphabetical)
Language Lessons by Caroline Mei-Lin Mar (poetry)
The Sound of Her Voice by Veronica Montes (prose)
Nice Wanton by Alison Powell (prose)
We Know This Will All Disappear by Melissa Ragsly (prose)
Our Club for Everyone But the Sun by Sara Saab (poetry)
dear :: dear by Jennifer Richter and BT Shaw (poetry)
Canary by Katherine Zlabek (prose)
Love Letters to the Revolution by Angelique Zobitz (poetry)
SEMI-FINALISTS (alphabetical)
Call a Body Home by Michael Alessi (prose)
our lady of deciduous teeth by Chelsea Bodnar (poetry)
Things That Can Be Lost by Douglas Bruton (prose)
Red Spell: Flash Fictions by Lydia Copeland Gwyn (prose)
Home-Starved/Salt-Drunk by Joanna Gordon (poetry)
Revenge Body by Sally J. Johnson (poetry)
Curing Season by Kristine Langley Mahler (prose)
What Happened Was: by Anna Leahy (poetry)
Winesburg Appendix by Michael Martone (prose)
Aping Nature by Shannon McLeod (prose)
A Finite Number of Chances by Conor McNamara (prose)
Tomorrow Music by Pete Stevens (prose)
OF NOTE: If you submitted a chapbook to our June Open Reading Period, we’re still reading and considering your manuscript! We aim to have responses out by late fall. If you’re not certain if you submitted to the Black River Chapbook Competition or the June Open Reading Period, please log into your Submittable account to check.