Dariel Suarez is the Cuban-born author of the novel The Playwright’s House and the story collection A Kind of Solitude, winner of the International Latino Book Award for Best Collection of Short Stories. He is an inaugural City of Boston Artist Fellow and the Education Director at GrubStreet. Dariel's work has received the First Lady Cecile de Jongh Literary Prize and has been anthologized in Best American Essays. His prose has also appeared in numerous publications, including The Threepenny Review, The Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Michigan Quarterly Review, and The Caribbean Writer. Dariel currently resides in the Boston area with his wife and daughter.

2021 RAYMOND CARVER CONTEST RESULTS

Top three prizewinners selected by guest judge Leesa Cross-Smith

First - $2000: "Habits" by Morgan Green in Abington, PA

Second - $500: "The Pit" by Chris Blexrud in New Orleans, LA

Third - $250: "Field Dressing" by Mariah Rigg in Eugene, OR

Editors’ Choice - $125: "What Happened with the Librarian?" by Haley Hach in Rhinebeck, NY

Editors’ Choice - $125: "The Kingdom of the Shades" by Nina Ellis in London, UK

Leesa Cross-Smith is a homemaker and writer from Kentucky. She is the author of Half-Blown Rose (Grand Central Publishing, 2022), This Close To Okay (Grand Central Publishing, 2021), So We Can Glow (Grand Central Publishing, 2020), Whiskey & Ribbons (Hub City Press, 2018), Every Kiss A War (Mojave River Press, 2014), and the forthcoming Goodbye Earl (Grand Central Publishing, Summer 2023). So We Can Glow was listed as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2020. The novel Whiskey & Ribbons was longlisted for the 2018 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and listed among Oprah Magazine’s “Top Books of Summer.” Every Kiss A War was a finalist for both the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction (2012) and the Iowa Short Fiction Award (2012). Find more @ LeesaCrossSmith.com.

2020 Contest RESULTS

Top 3 prizewinners selected by guest judge Pam Houston.

• First - $2000: “The Paper Tiger” by Lindsay Kennedy in Stamford, CT

• Second - $500: “The Fourth” by C. Adán Cabrera in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

• Third - $250: “Think Tank” by Ella Martinsen Gorham in Los Angeles, CA

• Editor’s Choice - $125: “Sandhill Cranes” by Anna Prawdzik Hull in Albuquerque, NM

• Editor’s Choice - $125: “On Guard” by L. Vocem in Johns Creek, GA

Pam Houston is the author of the memoir, Deep Creek: Finding Hope In The High Country, as well as two novels, Contents May Have Shifted and Sight Hound, two collections of short stories, Cowboys Are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat, and a collection of essays, A Little More About Me, all published by W.W. Norton. Her stories have been selected for volumes of The O. Henry Awards, The Pushcart Prize, Best American Travel Writing, and Best American Short Stories of the Century among other anthologies. She is the winner of the Western States Book Award, the WILLA Award for contemporary fiction, the Evil Companions Literary Award and several teaching awards. She teaches in the Low Rez MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, is Professor of English at UC Davis, and co-founder and creative director of the literary nonprofit Writing By Writers. She lives at 9,000 feet above sea level near the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

RESULTS

First - $1500: "Private Lives" by April Sopkin in Richmond, VA
Second - $500: "Gravity House" by Carolyn Bishop in Weaverville, CA
Third - $250: "The Enchanted Forest" by Brian Crawford in Redwood City, CA
Editor’s Choice - $125: "The Ghost Rider” by Erica Plouffe Lazure in Exeter, NH

Claire Fuller didn’t start writing until she was 40. Her three novels, Our Endless Numbered Days, Swimming Lessons, and Bitter Orange are all published by Tin House and have been translated into sixteen languages. Her first novel won the 2015 Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction and was a finalist in the ABA (American Booksellers Association) 2016 Indies Best Books Award. Her second novel was shortlisted for the Encore Prize. Claire also writes flash fiction and short stories, and as well as being published in many journals, her stories have won the BBC Opening Lines competition, and the Royal Academy / Pin Drop prize. Claire lives in Hampshire in England.

RESULTS

• First - $1500: "Home as Found" by Frank Meola in Brooklyn, NY

• Second - $500: "Explain It To Me" by Jenessa Abrams in New York, NY

• Third - $250: "Conflagration" by Suzanne Barefoot in Lancaster, PA

• Editor’s Choice - $125: "Terschelling" by Jaap van der Schaaf in London, England

• Editor’s Choice - $125: "How Would You Like to Be Dead?" by Noah Bogdonoff in Providence, RI

RESULTS

• First - $1500: "Richard" by David J. Wingrave in Warsaw, Poland

• Second - $500: "Laughing and Turning Away" by Patrick Holloway in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

• Third - $250: "Homecoming" by Zachary Lunn in Raleigh, NC

• Editor’s Choice - $125: "The Anatomy of Todd Melkin" by Catherine Malcynsky in Chester, CT

• Editor’s Choice - $125: "Windfall" by Edward Hamlin in Boulder, CO

RESULTS

• First - $1500: "And It Is My Fault" by Janet Towle in Dutch Flat, CA

• Second - $500: "Come Down to the Water" by Emily Flamm in College Park, MD

• Third - $250: "A Working Theory of Stellar Collapse" by Sam Miller Khaikin in Brooklyn, NY

• Editor’s Choice (Anna) - $125: "Mostly Sunny (With a Slight Chance of Rain)" by Chelsea Catherine in Summerland Key, FL

• Editor’s Choice (Claire) - $125: "A Wave Breaking" by Phoebe Driscoll in Memphis, TN

Honorable Mentions:

• "Evolve" by Jeff Moscaritolo

• "Flint" by Michael Sloyka

RESULTS

• First - $1000: "Arrangements" by Charlie Watts in Providence, RI.

• Second - $500: "Kudzu" by Andrea Bobotis in Denver, CO.

• Third - $250: "Jack Nicely" by Amanda Pauley in Elliston, VA.

• Editor’s Choice (Matthew) - $125: "The Giant" by Joe Shlichta in Olympia, WA.

• Editor’s Choice (Suzanne) - $125: "All That We Burned, All That We Loved" by Laura Haugen in U.S.A.

Honorable Mention

• "Vanish" by Michael Minchin in Randolph, VT.

RESULTS

• First - $1500: “Safe, Somewhere” by Baird Harper in Oak Park, IL.

• Second - $500: “The Snow Children” by Wendy Oleson in Los Angeles, CA.

• Third - $250: “Martha and Other Anomalies” by Kerrin Piche Serna in Fullerton, CA.

• Editor’s Choice (Matthew) - $125: “Entr’acte” by Mark Connelly in Milwaukee, WI.

• Editor’s Choice (Kristin) - $125: “Cantaloupe” by Karen Loeb in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Honorable Mentions

• “A Little off the Top” by Mathieu Cailler

• “Seven Boxes” by Jeffrey Ricker

• “Lilith in Paradise” by Courtney Sender

• “Rabbit Season” by Katie Reilly

RESULTS

• First place - $1000: “Tu quoque” by Jake Andrews in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

• Second place - $750: “No Translation” by Mona Awad in Manhattan, NYC.

• Third place - $500: “Heisenberg” by William Shih in Queens, NYC.

• Editor’s Choice (Matthew) - $250: “The Gymnast” by Jennifer Harvey in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

• Editor’s Choice (Kristin) - $250: “Twenty-Nine Ingredients” by Lesley Quinn in Oakland, CA.

Honorable Mentions

• “A Space You Can Fall Into” by Liz Prato

• “Bree Hadley” by Rebecca McKanna

• “Brushed Nickel” by Adam Shafer

• “Caravan” by Donna Obeid

• “Thunder in Illnois” by Leslie Campbell

The first four Honorable Mentions were published as a bonus feature in our Premium Edition.

RESULTS

• 1st place - $1000: ”The Odyssey” by Jia Tolentino in Houston, TX

• 2nd place - $750: ”The Third Element” by Jodi Paloni in Marlboro, VT

• 3rd place - $500: ”Neuropathy” by Kathy Flann in Baltimore, MD

• Editor’s Choice (Matthew) - $250: ”Starlings” by Joseph Johnson in Ellensburg, WA

• Editor's Choice (Kristin) - $250: ”Floating on Water” by Dalia Rosenfeld in Charlottesville, VA

Honorable Mentions

• "Kitchen Math" - Soma Mei Sheng Frazier

• "Great Hall" - Carmiel Banasky

The show of talent this year was incredible—so much so that we’ve decided to publish all nine finalists: the five prizewinners and four honorable mentions. Congratulations to them all.

• 1st place - $1000: “Stalled Symphony” by Liesl Wilke in Mercer Island, WA

• 2nd place - $750: “Credo” by Bridget Brewer in Portland, OR

• 3rd place - $500: “Promises, Promises” by Susan Finch in Grand Junction, CO

• Editor’s Choice (Matthew) - $250: “Motherlove” by Mark Farrington in Alexandria, VA

• Editor's Choice (Kristin) - $250: “Whiskey & Ribbons” by Leesa Cross-Smith in Louisville, KY

Honorable Mentions - $100 each

• ”Oregon Grind” by Rick Attig in Portland, OR

• “What Happy Couples Do” by Anna Cox in Guelph, Ontario

•  ”The English Speakers” by Sarah Quigley in Christchurch, New Zealand

• “The Mattress Boy of Cameroon” by Kate Jackson in North Hills, CA

RESULTS

• 1st place - $1000: “The White Rabbit” by Maire Cooney in Glasgow, UK

• 2nd place - $500: “Unpracticed Altitudes” by Shaun Hamill in Hurst, Texas

• 3rd place - $250: “When You Cross the Border” by Molly Greeley in Ellicott City, Maryland

• Editor’s Choice - $125: “It Was So Many Years Ago” by Amber Krieger in Portland, Oregon

Honorable Mention

• “The Appointment” by Frances Gonzalez 

Results

• 1st place - $1000: “What You’ve Done For Me” by John S. Walker in Cordova, TN

• 2nd place - $750: “At the Last Minute” by Martha Miller in Springfield, IL

• 3rd place - $500: “Zero Pressure” by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier in San Leandro, CA

• Editor’s Choice - $250: “How The Tiger Got Its Stripes” by Nicholas Hogg in New York, NY

Honorable Mentions

• “University Hospital” by Timothy Crandle

• “A Rastafarian Buddha” by Ann Selby

• “Agavé” by Rashad Harrison 

Results

• First prize - $1,000: “The Last Hours of Pompeii” by Marc Nieson in Pittsburgh, PA

• Second prize - $750: “Mourning the Departed” by L. Annette Binder in Los Angeles, CA

• Third prize - $500: “Used to Be” by Elizabeth Baines in Didsbury, Manchester, UK

• Editor’s Choice - $250: “Limits” by Sung J. Woo in Washington, NJ

• Editor's Choice - $250 “Cooling” by Julie Eill in Alexandria, VA

Honorable Mentions

• “Mrs. Morrisette” by Margaret Rodenberg

• “No One Comes Up Here By Accident” by Michael Schiavone

• “For Those Who Have Also Dared” by Michael Schiavone

• “Home Theater” by Paul Vidich

• “The Cat, Kicking” by Amelia Beamer

Results

• 1st Place - $1000: “Agashi” by AC Koch

• 2nd Place - $500: “Summit” by Julia Gordon-Bramer

• 3rd Place - $250: “One Hundred Santas” by Liz Skillman

• Editor’s Choice - $50: “Different Than Any Day So Far” by Marc Phillips

• Editor's Choice - $50: “The Ways You Are Gone” by Kami Westhoff

Honorable Mentions

• “The Fire Eater” by Lauren Faulkberry

• “Word is Bond” by Deivis Garcia

• “The Pull, The Weight” by Andrew Howard

• “The Kind You Can’t Take Aspirin For” by Michael Schiavone

• “Lost Art” by Midge Raymond

• “The Summer of ‘68” by Sally Bellerose

• “Wasps” by Steve Young

• “The Man Who Would Sing” by James Sievert