2004 Award Winner
Postcard story writing – a unique blend of prose and verse – is an emerging genre that reflects our culture’s move to dramatic images and sharp ideas in economical form. The Writers' Union of Canada initiated its inaugural Postcard Story Competition in 1999 to discover, encourage, and promote writers of fiction and nonfiction in this form. The winning entry will be printed in postcard format and will be distributed with the Union's Newsletter.
This year, thirty-three Union members donated their time and expertise to read over 700 submissions and distill them into a shortlist of twelve. These were passed on to the 2004 jury (Deirdre Kessler, Elizabeth Ruth and Fred Wah) who selected the following winner and runners-up from the contenders.
WINNER
($500 cash award and printed postcard distributed in the Union’s Newsletter)
“Eat” by Leanne Milech (Toronto, BC)
“The postcard story ‘Eat’ gives a clear, present-time glimpse into a larger narrative and is written in a delightfully headlong and poetic style.” (jury)
Leanne Milech just graduated from Queen's University and received her BAH in Film Studies and Religious Studies. Her work has been published in Other Voices, Ultraviolet, The Queen's Journal, and Lake Effect. She is attending NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in September for the MA program in Cinema Studies. Leanne looks forward to stalking celebrities, but will miss her 468 sisters like crazy.
RUNNERS UP
1st Runner-up: “Braking for Unicorns” by Patti Grayson (St. Andrews, MB)
2nd Runner-up: “Heavy Snow on Mount Revelstoke” by Andrea Johnston (Toronto, ON)
FINALISTS
“Visiting Day” by J. Ahniko Batskor (Winnipeg, MB)
“Da” by Marjorie Doyle (St. John’s, NL)
“Angel Baby” by Andrea Johnston (Toronto, ON)
“The Bathroom Floor” by Dianne Scott (Toronto, ON)
"World Champion" by Darcy Rhyno (Sable River, NS)
“Firm Ground” by Emily Southwood (Montreal, PQ)
“Honour” by Brian Tibbs (St. Catharines, ON)
“Just a Duck” by Maria Kathryn van den Bosch (Hanmer, ON)
“The Jasmine Painting” by Petryna Venuta (London, ON)
READERS FOR THE COMPETITION
Dan Badowich, Diane Baker-Mason, Rae Bridgman, Elaine Clow-Martin, Lucy Falcone, Dave Glaze, Brian Griffith, Amanda Hale, Phil Hall, John F. Jansen in de Wal, Sharon Jennings, Marvyne Jenoff, Sean Johnston, Robert H. Jones, Dorothy Joan Harris, Mary L. Keenan, Arthur Kent, Glynn A. Leyshon, Anna Jean Mallinson, Shirlee Matheson, Hooley McLaughlin, Anne Logan McNamara, Michael Mirolla, Allen Morgan, Julia Moulden, Iris Nowell, Carolyn Pogue, Bill Schermbrucker, Olive Senior,
David Watmough
FINAL JURY
Deirdre Kessler, Elizabeth Ruth, Fred Wah
-30-
