We’ve been swept into memories of water, mystery, and delight with the latest submissions for the 2020 Wind and Water Writing Contest! This year’s theme of memory made for such lovely reading that we had a difficult task of picking those we felt best handled the theme while also using the skills a writer has available to them.
After copious amounts of delightful reading and careful consideration by our judges, we’re pleased to announce the winners!
Poetry
First Prize: Morning Swims by Shauna Haugen
Honourable Mention: Waterlovers by Karole Marois
Fiction/Non Fiction
First Prize: Mona’s Roadkill by Andrew Binks, Fiction
Honourable Mention: Swinging Sticks, Sliding Doors by Nora-Lyn Veevers, Non Fiction
What the judges had to say about the winners:
Morning Swims by Shauna Haugen
Dorian Widling:
The reason I liked this poem is that the language is sparse but perfect and it hits most of our five senses. On top of that, the cadence of the poem fits the theme. This poem has emotional impact, and I really feel as though I was experiencing what the poet describes. Shauna Haugen has written a poem that feels important and relevant.
Mona’s Roadkill by Andrew Binks, Fiction
Kelly S. Thompson:
It was a unanimous decision for Dorian and I in selecting “Mona’s Roadkill” as this year’s contest winner. The writing is visceral and alive; we feel, as a reader, as though we are part of the scene, experiencing it like the characters. And speaking of the characters–they dance across the page with life and rich imagery. Simply gorgeous work.
Kelly S. Thompson is a retired military officer who holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is a PhD candidate in Literary and Critical Studies at the University of Gloucestershire. Kelly won the House of Anansi Press Golden Anniversary Award for fiction, the 2014 and 2017 Barbara Novak Award for Personal Essay, and was shortlisted for Room magazine’s 2013 and 2014 creative nonfiction awards, placing 2nd in the 2019 competition. Her essays have appeared in several anthologies and in publications such as Chatelaine, Maclean’s, Maisonneuve, and more. Her memoir, Girls Need Not Apply, released summer 2019, was an instant Globe and Mail bestseller.
Dorian Widling is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. He has written several short stories and is currently working on a historical novel set in 18th century France. Dorian is also an award-winning photographer, having taken several prizes at the Department of National Defence Photo Competition, as well as having won a commendation from the judges at the Sony World Photography Awards. Dorian’s images have been shown in places as far as Grosvenor Gallery in London, UK, and his work is held in private collections across North and South America.
