wyoming writers, Inc.

Annual Contest Winners

2024

Poetry:

Free Verse

1st: On a mother's afternoon by Myra Peak from Green River, WY

2nd: i live in the country by Tom Spence from Buffalo, WY

3rd: Coal and Cattle Country by Reatha Thomas Oakley from Gillette

Honorable Mention: Absent a Beat by Carol Deering from Fairview, TN

Honorable Mention: Sliding Away by Eowyn Vesper from Gillette, WY

Honorable Mention: St Gall by Jodi Campbell from Fort Worth, TX

Judge comment - "Wonderful selection of poems! I wish I had more places to award."

Traditional Verse

1st: In Her Garden, Sestina by Meghan Hickerson from Walla, Walla WAx2nd: City,

2nd: Sestina by Meghan Hickerson from Walla, Walla WA

3rd: The Restless Southern Sea, Villanelle by Reatha Thomas Oakley from Gillette

Honorable Mention: Moccasin Branch Political Rally, Prose Poem by Reatha Thomas Oakley from Gillette

Honorable Mention: Borealis Botany, Ballad by Daniel Moreschi from Neath, UK

Judge comment - "There was a tremendous display of skill and care for the craft of poetry demonstrated by these poets, even in the poems that didn't place.”

Fiction:

Flash Fiction

1st: Adventures in Painting by Cordell Parker from Saratoga, WY

2nd: In and Out by Cordell Parker from Saratoga, WY

3rd: Addie and Lance- by Bren Lieske from Laramie, WY

Judge comment -This year’s Flash Fiction entries had a distinctly Wyoming flair, either focused on or set in local geography and activity. Simultaneously, and to their credit, the writers weren’t afraid to get weird. Ranging from sci-fi to comedically absurd, many entries made me laugh out loud or at the very least cock a wry eyebrow at their reveals and choice of word.

The winners were selected based on a couple of different elements. Those that made me sit up and take notice, whether through humor, shock, or skillful prose. Contrasting the author’s success at evoking feelings in the reader with the skill at which they presented their entries got me to the above rankings

Adult Fiction

1st: Goats by Caroline Dickinson from Morrill, NE

2nd: Glory of the Leopard Rodney Walther from Sugar Land, TX

3rd: Spirit of the Gazelle by Rodney Walther from Sugar Land, TX

Honorable Mention: Return to Bugsbee by Nancy Quinn from Worland, WY

Judge comment -“This was tough! The top three were equal in the rubric, except second and third were single spaced so got knocked down a point for not following the rules. The honorable mention was only one point behind third place.”

Children/Young Adult

1st: Roxie's Egg Thief by Heidi DeStefano of Gillette, WY

2nd: Polyester by Kara K. Smith from Cheyenne, WY

3rd: Excerpt from Miya’s Mountain by Cathy Ringler of Powell, WY

Honorable mention: The Sea Fey by Claudia Thompson of Laramie, WY

Honorable mention: Winter's Always Wild Out West by Jennifer Russell from Cheyenne, WY

Non-Ficton:

1st: Time Zones with Sharp Edges by Pamela Galbreath from Laramie, WY

2nd: But Yah Got Shoes On! By Peter Tirrell from Norman, OK

3rd: Knapsack Col by Laura Hattan from Pinedale, WY

Honorable Mention: More by Marsha Mittman from Spearfish, SD

Honorable Mention: Stone by India Hayford from Casper, WY

Honorable Mention: The Warrior, the Wizard, and the Weight of Gravity by Eowyn Vesper from Gillette, WY

Judge comment -“I gave out three honorable mentions because I felt there were six exceptional entries in this category. I really liked all six of the entries above.”