2016 Orlando Prize Winners & Finalists
It was a privilege to read the work of so many talented women. We hope you will join us in celebrating the success of the selected winners and finalists, chosen anonymously by our extraordinary Orlando finalist judge and editor of the upcoming Waves publication, Diane Gilliam!
Sarah Black, Winner of 2016 Orlando Poetry Prize
POETRY WINNER: “MOORING THE BOAT TO THE DOCK”
by Sarah Black [Birmingham, AL]
“Mooring the Boat to the Dock” holds the brutality of history in one hand the work of life in the other. It testifies to the enduring power of the archetypal feminine, ancient and still yet with us “On every given morning.”—Diane Gilliam, Orlando Finalist Judge
Poetry Finalists:
Mary Salisbury, “Welsh Mare Corralled” Nicole Pekarske, “Aubade”
Valerie Speedwell, Winner of 2016 Orlando Flash Fiction Prize
FLASH FICTION WINNER: “REGINA”
by Valerie Speedwell [San Francisco, CA]
“Regina” creates an unstoppable presence and voice, in a rush of language and rhythm that admits no argument or challenge, despite the obstacles it names. The sheer energy and vitality of the piece is absolutely commanding.—Diane Gilliam, Orlando Finalist Judge
Flash Fiction Finalists:
Maija Devine, “Ggoma” Meghan Thomas, “The Old Man in the Elevator”
Tessa Lunney, Winner of 2016 Orlando Short Fiction Prize
SHORT FICTION WINNER: “THOSE EBOLA BURNERS THEM”
by Tessa Lunney [Sydney, AUSTRALIA]
“Those Ebola Burners Them” takes us into a place of life and death, where heroic choices are made that will never be able to be brought back to the village. The ravages are told in a language stark and poetic, powerful enough to redefine heroism and redemption. —Diane Gilliam, Orlando Finalist Judge
Short Fiction Finalists:
Lauren Mouat, “I, me, you, she” Carmiel Banasky, “Casements”
Jocelyn Edelstein, Winner of 2016 Orlando Creative Nonfiction Prize
CREATIVE NONFICTION WINNER: “KEEP CALLING MY NAME: Frogs, circles and climate change”
by Jocelyn Edelstein [Milwaukie, OR]
“Keep Calling My Name: Frogs, circles and climate change” looks for ways in which some things in the world might still be made right, and finds models in dance, physics, children and frogs. All these are wreathed together through the essay, deftly enacting the kinds of connection and flexibility that just might save us. —Diane Gilliam, Orlando Finalist Judge
Creative Nonfiction Finalists:
Kelly Jeske, “Burial” Chauna Craig, “A Glittering of Hummingbirds, a Charm”
Each winner will receive $1,000 and publication of her winning piece in Waves: A Confluence of Women’s Voices, Featuring Maxine Hong Kingston
