Literary Magic Short Story and Poetry Contest Winners
Contest Results: Literary Magic has met with yet another pair of successful writing contests. Last month, we closed our first ever paid writing contest. Now, the editors have spoken, and offered free critiques for the winning entries. The first place poem and story winners will each receive their promised payments, as well as their critiques which can be found directly following each story and poem. Just click on the link to be taken to each winner's page to read the entry followed by editors' critiques. Literary Magic would like to thank all of the writers who submitted their work. While we received many pieces worthy of recognition, only the top three ...
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January 17, 20112nd Place Story: “Landscape and Fall” By Mark Wagstaff
Landscape and Fall By Mark Wagstaff About suffering they were never wrong, the Old Masters. Auden, for instance. You said: his command of situation, his juxtaposition of nature and torture, driven by grief for man’s smallness and doubt, counterposes the sun on water with the nagging nip of ice. The innocent with the purposeful, who may see but not recognise. I remember, in the museum, your passion for these things. I travelled for fun, for Art with a capital A, as a tick on my tourist list beside moules-frites and cherry beer. But to you, the museum was destination, its paintings the source for larger emotions you ...
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January 17, 20111st Place Story: “Hitchhiker” By Joanne Weck
Hitchhiker By Joanne Weck It was dusk. A light rain was falling as we drove through the hills of Pennsylvania, heading west. As we rounded a curve near a turnpike entrance, a slight figure stepped almost directly into the path of our car. My husband, at the wheel of his battered ’59 Ford, swerved to avoid impact. Glancing into my rear-view mirror, I caught a glimpse of a fragile-looking girl, thumb outstretched, standing in the rain. “Stop, David! Stop!” I shouted. He slammed on the brakes. “Christ! What is it?” He looked at me, alarmed, and I pointed at the figure running toward the car. “Are you out of your mind? ...
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January 17, 20113rd Place Story: “Cooking With Endangered Animals” By Lisa Rose
Cooking With Endangered Animals By Lisa Rose I knew it was going to be a bad day when I found one half of a roach in my scrambled eggs. Where’s the other half? I really hoped...well... Some people eat bugs. They say it’s fancy and tastes just like chicken. Well, those people are crazy! Too bad we didn’t have our own kitchen, I would whip up my own eggs. I am a great cook. I can make scrambled, poached, hard-boiled, and sunny-side up eggs. I can make omelets regular or with egg whites only. I could even make meringue. But we were at the homeless shelter. And ...
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January 17, 2011A Story of Bee
A Story of Bee By Robert Cleversy Her name was Beetrice, Beetrice Rose Macintosh. First, before you correct me, her name is spelled Beetrice but is pronounced Beatrice. Her mother liked bees and decided to name her that way. Beetrice will be the first to tell you that her mother was a loon. That’s the second thing I need to tell you, Beetrice can be pretty assertive when it comes to speaking her mind. I first met Bee in the summer of 2006. I was having a tough year. My wife left me after six years of marriage. One day I ...
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January 21, 2010Bubbles
BUBBLES A short story of 1,499 words by Heidi Hirner BYLINE: Bubbles - a cheerful blonde secretary - figures out a way to cheer up her Stock-broker boss who is super-grumpy due to the Economic Recession. In spite of the fact that she was seated in front of a Work computer, Bubbles Buzansky often spent her time attending to non-work related emails, the kind of personal emails that the company - in its procedures and policies document - officially frowned upon. Bubbles did feel a minor amount of guilt about these transgressions, and would occasionally furtively scan the office, ...
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January 21, 2010Cuckoo in the Nest
Cuckoo in the Nest By Terry Voyle The black painted longships with the Dragons prow, sliced menacingly through the choppy waters of Cardigan Bay, their sails full with the onshore wind. The six longships entered the mouth of the river Towy, the ...
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January 21, 2010The Love of My Life
The Love of My Life By FR Jameson In life she only came to me once, in death she visits every single night. She touches me, holds me, kisses me – and I dread every second of it. ...
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January 21, 2010Serious Addicts Only
Serious Addicts Only By Timothy A. Boling "Hi, I'm Nick and I'm an addict." "Welcome, Nick!" the group said in unison. I took a deep breath and began. "This's my first time attending Narcotics Anonymous, and I'm not real sure what to say." I looked around the table. There were twelve of us, myself and my wife Laurie included. Each person at the table took turns talking about how drugs took control of their lives, and how they recovered from hitting rock-bottom. Now it was my turn. "I've been clean ...
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January 21, 2010The Dinner Party
The Dinner Party By Joan Kaplan Tonight’s gathering would be the ninth in a series of twelve Saturday night dinner parties spanning the three-month holiday summer season. Invitations to these dinners, which began promptly at seven-thirty and concluded just as promptly at ten-thirty, were treasured, envied, guarded jealously. Women orchestrated clever but transparent opportunities to ingratiate themselves with the host or hostess in an effort to qualify as potential guests. Men feigned indifference, but worried that important business deals could be born, nurtured or consummated in their absence. Receiving the rare raised-gilt-edged note card with the invented family crest requesting their presence ...
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January 21, 2010