2008 Award Winner
"THE INVASION OF THE SNOTTY BADGERS" WINS WRITERS' UNION OF CANADA'S 9th ANNUAL POSTCARD STORY COMPETITION
The Writers' Union of Canada is pleased to announce that Karin Macphail Weber has won the 9th annual Postcard Story Competition, for the best story under 250 words, with her piece "The Invasion of the Snotty Badgers." It will be printed in postcard format and will be distributed in the Union's Newsletter, with the author receiving a $500 cash prize.
The Union initiated its inaugural Postcard Story Competition in 1999 to discover, encourage, and promote writers of fiction and nonfiction in this form. This year, 11 Union members donated their time and expertise to read over 834 outstanding submissions and distill them into a longlist of 70 stories. These stories went on to a second round of 15 readers who selected the finalists to pass on to the 2008 Jury.
WINNER: "The Invasion of the Snotty Badgers” by Karin Macphail Weber
"The fresh, unusual diction reveals character, develops conflict, and furthers the clever plot. From the punning title to the finger-licking climax, 'The Invasion of the Snotty Badgers' reveals an author in full command of her talent and ready for longer prose forms. We reread this original story many times with pleasure." (Jury)
Karin Macphail Weber is a writer and an artist. Her fiction, poetry, and watercolour paintings reflect a passion for myth and nature. Once upon a time she happily studied anthropology at McGill University, Montreal. She has lived in the United States, Europe, and Canada. Her current home is in Mississauga, Ontario, where she lives with her husband, son, and a large wayward dog.
FINALISTS:
"Assignment" by Alban Goulden
"Companion Animal" by Elizabeth Creith
"My Father's Funeral" by Greg Shupak
"My Sister" by Ann Gamsa
"Paper Route" by Beth Everest
"Public Library Service Desk" by Joy Huebert
"Sweet Things" by Allan Peterkin
"Taking a Seat" by Susan Di Laudo
"The Christmas Bird" by Valentina Gal
"Valentine" by Elizabeth Hogan
"Weather Report" by Chris Laing
READERS FOR THE COMPETITION:
Rona Altrows, Clayton Bailey, Thelma Barer-Stein, Yvonne Blackwood, Sandra Campbell, C.J. Carmichael, Anne Cimon, Betty Cullen, Brian Day, Sue Donaldson, Nancy Graham, Nan Gregory, Ellen Jaffe, Kim Kinrade, Kathy-Diane Leveille, Andrea MacPherson, Anna Jean Mallinson, Hugh T. McCracken, Anne Logan McNamara, Eleanor Millard, Hope Morritt, Michael Mortensen, Beth Powning, Raquel Rivera, Veronica Ross, Irene N. Watts.
FINAL JURY:
Aritha van Herk, Hal Niedzviecki, and Mary Novik.
The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers. For more information, please visit www.writersunion.ca
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