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Crime: First Chapters Long List

Crime: First Chapters Long List

Top 20 Crime: First Chapter Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

An Inquest of Eels

Vindincta

A Dead Hatless Texan

Secret Works

Black Gully

The Good Friend

Dead in the Water

Red

Dutch Courage

Smiler

The Green Line

Death Assured

Neon Ghosts

The Murder Factory

The Man in the Clear

Last Train to Medicine Hat

Taste of Fear

Requiem For A Lotus

Dark Horse

Kentucky Blood

Congrats to the 20 writers who made the long list. The overall standard of entries was fair. There were 70 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The announcement of the shortlist of 10 will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which made the cut. 

The NEW 2024 Plaza Short Story Prize (5000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by Vanessa Onwuemezi. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 3oth April 2024.

Carrie Etter Interview

The Plaza Prizes: An Interview with Judge and Poet, Carrie Etter

Helen Pletts, Second Prize winner in the Prose Poetry Competition 2022-23,The Plaza Prizes, in conversation with Carrie Etter, who is the Prose Poetry Competition Judge for 2023-24.

Carrie is an American poet, originally from Normal, Illinois, who has lived in England since 2001. She has published four poetry collections: The Tethers (Seren, 2009), winner of the London New Poetry Prize, Divining for Starters (Shearsman, 2011), Imagined Sons (Seren, 2014), shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry, and The Weather in Normal (Seren, 2018), a Poetry Book Society recommendation. Her fifth collection, Grief’s Alphabet, is forthcoming from Seren Books in April.

Her poems have appeared in Boston Review, the Iowa Review, The New Republic, The New Statesman, The Guardian, The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem, Poetry Review, The Rialto, Shenandoah (US), Westerly (AUS) and The Times Literary Supplement. She also edited the anthology Infinite Difference: Other Poetries by UK Women Poets (Shearsman, 2010), a TLS Book of the Year, and Linda Lamus’s posthumous collection, A Crater the Size of Calcutta (Mulfran, 2015). She has received grants from the Society of Authors and Arts Council England and also publishes short stories, essays and reviews. After eighteen years teaching at Bath Spa University, in 2022 she joined the creative writing faculty at the University of Bristol.

1. Why poetry? Tell us about that first spark to getting you hooked? Early influences?

I began writing poetry outside of school at the age of 11, but only really began reading poetry widely four years later, when I accidentally found the literary magazine collection at the university library. I was there to do research for the debate team, ended up on the wrong floor, and voila! The first poetry collections I remember buying were Adrienne Rich’s The Dream of a Common Language and Linda Gregg’s Too Bright to See, and as Gwendolyn Brooks was Illinois Poet Laureate while I was in high school, I encountered her work then as well.

Why poetry? Its distillation, its intensity, its play of language and technique. It’s where I go to understand myself and the world.

2. How does an American poet, with four collections to date, come to be in the UK?

I was finishing my PhD in Victorian fiction for the University of California, Irvine, and I came to the British Library to research for and write my thesis. I thought I’d just be here for a year or two, but on finishing my PhD in 2003, I was hired to teach part-time at the University of Hertfordshire, and the following year Bath Spa University offered me a permanent post.

3. Your fifth collection,Grief’s Alphabet, due from Seren Books in April 2024, is about your relationship with your mum and her unexpected loss. Can you give us a highlight, focussing on a few key lines?

Grief’s Alphabet is essentially a memoir in poetry, relating in the first section our relationship, showing what we experienced as a family, to her unexpected death and the immediate aftermath in the second section, to the long work of mourning in the last section. Here’s one key line: ‘Lifelong I daughter.’

4. You’re a member of the creative writing faculty at Bristol University, your home from home, how do you find life as an expat? Whose poetry are you reading and/or teaching currently?

Life as an expat is strange in that I feel neither English nor American, but here people always regard me as American and in the US people seem to regard me as ‘other’ somehow because I live abroad. This week I was teaching the work of another expat, Mary Jean Chan, and I’m reading Joyelle McSweeney’s incredible Toxicon and Arachne.

I also routinely teach an online prose poetry course, Reading to Write Prose Poetry, where each week for five weeks we look at prose poems by a particular poet and try a writing exercise arising in some way from the work. Teaching online allows me to reach a wider base–in my last class there were participants based in Greece, Australia, and the US.

5. Have you any future writing projects in mind that you hope to achieve?

Quite a few! I’m currently editing Claire Crowther’s Sense and Nonsense: Essays and Interviews for Shearsman Books and working on a short story collection. There are more I have in mind, but I’ll stop there.

6. What will you be looking for as the Prose Poetry Competition Judge? What do you love about Prose Poetry?

Whereas lineated poems require some kind of trajectory or progression, prose poems inhabit a single idea, feeling, or mood, and I love that prose poetry can provide another vehicle for poetry, just as other forms do. I’ll be looking for prose poetry that shows awareness of the kind of cohesion a successful prose poem requires and fresh imagery.

7. Can we hear about your favourite things, I know you love cats?

My loves beyond writing, teaching, and reading include cats and cooking–the evidence is on Instagram.

8. Who is the author of your current bedside book?

I don’t keep books on my bedside, but I’m currently listening to The Seven Moons of Mali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka, which won the Booker Prize last year. It’s outrageously inventive, brutal, and funny.

Short Story (8000 words max): Winners

Top 4 Short Story Entries

All the comments below are from our judge, Remy Ngambije.

1st place: The Two Things Bassie Knows” by Clayton Bradshaw-Mittal (USA)

“The Two Things Bassie Knows” juggles trivia competition, fluid sexuality, and the looming nature of death masterfully. It is highly amusing in parts, keenly observant in others, and wonderfully entertaining throughout. It is a really good exploration of what people are willing to put up with for company and companionship. This was my top story throughout the readings. I really think it offers something different to all of the others which felt…overcooked! This one had the sensation of street food: chopped up, fried up quick, and served piping fucking hot. And, man, it was funny. Like, genuinely funny.

2nd place: Demons & Monkeys by Tamako Takamatsu (JAP)

“Demons And Monkeys” navigates the point of collision between tradition and modernity using a marital tale set in Japan. Its language is tight, its plot hints at the enormity of history and the clash of cultures pushing against each other. But it is its careful descriptions of a Japanese husband and wife that really makes the story sing off the pages. What I think works in this story is the marriage and the conflict between husband and wife. She is, I think, the more interesting character between the two. I mean “I am the daughter of samurai” is a killer line (it should be the title, I think). But, really, this was an enjoyable short story.

3rd place: “Dick and George” by Terry Watada (CAN)

“Dick And George” follows two Japanese-Canadian cousins—both children of immigrants—through their migration around Canada, the advent and conclusion of the Second World War, and the gradual assimilation into Canadian society. At its core, painful losses punctuate the passage of time; in its telling, an epic story of cultural assimilation and all of its attendant struggles comes to the fore. This was a really good story about migration. Even if I think Canada is the most meh of places for stories; I am yet to encounter one that really gets my blood boiling.

Highly Commended: A Resurrection in Soap by Matthew Hurt (MEX)

“A Resurrection In Soap” is an interesting take on the artist’s desire for self-actualisation, to transcend the medium that brings them fame, and to carve an independent identity. It has a tightness to it that is enviable—the way the writer carves this narrative from the rest of the storytelling canvas is skillful and the reading experience is fresh and rewarding. I think this one deserves a mention because it was well-written and explored the monotony and comfort of being a soap actor well.

Congrats to the winning writers.

The Plaza Short Story Prize (5000 words max) is judged by Vanessa Onwuemezi. ENTER NOW. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 30th April 2024.

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Short Story (8000 words max): Shortlist

Top 10 Short Story Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

One Last Mad Chance

The Two Things Bassie Knows

Appetite

Saturday Afternoon in the Museum of Thought

Dick & George

Sashimi

A Visitation of Glory

Johnny

Demons & Moneys

A Resurrection in Soap

Congrats to the 10 writers who made the long list.

The announcement of the winners will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the final cut. 

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Sudden Fiction Winners

Top 4 Sudden Fiction Winners

General comments from judge Angela Readman:-

Sudden Fiction involves much more than a short word count, the finest seem to jolt us awake and lure us to another place. I read the shortlist several times and was struck by the variety.

Often the stories had a dreamlike quality, from the fascinating world inside an ice cream man’s head in The Book of Naps, to the nursery rhyme cleverly utilised by The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon. Likewise, The Painting uses the repetition of the word genius to tell a wonderfully paced fantastical tale that makes us consider art and our attitudes towards artists.

In a different vein, the folk horror of The Halfman and the Catfish is a haunting fable about human nature that left me wondering about the mysterious half man.

Other writers preferred realism. The Door to Father’s Den is a family story elevated by the innocent perspective, simple joys and dreams of the girl who opens the door. The titular character in Not for Maggie wears her heart closer to their sleeve, we can’t help wanting to know more.

The story Gravity makes lost love a contemplation into distance and the weight of things building over time. Seven Ages of a Bathroom Cabinet also offers a reflection on time, a life skilfully drawn through small objects that mean more than their shelf life. The Jar is a deeply relatable story where a simple object takes on greater significance than its parts. In Surviving the Predictable, a game snakes of ladders becomes a delightful reminder of what it is to be human.

It wasn’t easy to pick a winner. Each story had its merits, many intrigued me, all deserved to be shortlisted. I allowed the stories to sit after I’d read them a few times and ultimately chose stories I kept thinking about afterwards, stories that made me remember sudden fiction is anything but sudden, great stories stay with us for years.

First Place
The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Cheryl O’Brien (UK)

The fantastical imagery of the children’s rhyme provides a startling contrast to a much darker tale. This felt like a story that could be told no other way, it offers no easy answers but asks questions about the function of imagination at a rattling pace.

Second Place

Not for Maggie by Alan Sincic (USA)

The beginning of this story felt like a seduction, the rhythm is stunning. I kept thinking about Maggie later, all the things that weren’t for her, I wondered what was. She was utterly vivid yet remained a mystery to me. A beautiful glimpse of the human condition.

Third Place

The Door to Father’s Den by Kelli Short Borges (USA)

I loved the structure of The Door to Father’s Den. The series of micros shows a girl moving through stages of her parents’ dissolving marriage. It’s difficult to write happy endings, yet the details sold me. I finished this story and found something rare in fiction, I felt hope.

Highly Commended

Seven Ages of the Bathroom Cabinet by Sue de Feu (Jersey, UK)

An impeccably structured story, as soon as I started reading I knew I was in safe hands. A whole life in so few words, beautifully done.

Congrats to the winning writers. The Top 10 stories will be published in The Plaza Prizes Anthology 2 this October.

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Sudden Fiction (1500 words max): Shortlist (Top 10)

Top 10 Sudden Fiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

The Book of Naps

Not For Maggie

The Painting

The Jar

Gravity

The Halfman & The Catfish

The Door to Father’s Den

7 Ages of a Bathroom Cabinet

The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

Plum Jam

Congrats to the 10 writers who made the long-list. These stories will be published in The Plaza Prizes Anthology 2 this October.

The announcement of the winners will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut. 

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Short Story (8000 words max): Long List

Top 20 Short StoryEntries
(titles listed in no particular order)

One Last Mad Chance

The Two Things Bassie Knows

Appetite

Saturday Afternoon in the Museum of Thought

Arguing With Trains

Dick & George

The Milky Way

Sashimi

A Visitation of Glory

Johnny

The Claim

The Illusion

Every Good Tree

Demons & Moneys

A Resurrection in Soap

Renewable Guy

Best of Three

Birth Mother

Alton

Bowie on Amsterdam

Congrats to the 20 writers who made the long list. The overall standard of entries was good. There were 138 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The announcement of the shortlist of 10 will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut. 

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Sudden Fiction (1500 words max): Long List (Top 20)

Top 20 Sudden Fiction Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

Sunken Palace

The Book of Naps

Not For Maggie

The Painting

The Jar

Gravity

The Halfman & The Catfish

The Door to Father’s Den

7 Ages of a Bathroom Cabinet

The Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

Outside Cafe Roussillon

Seven Seconds

Bread and Butter

Banquet Night

What Lurks Within

Plum Jam

Watercolor Lake

The Time it Takes to Fall Again

Hallucination at Dawn

A Brown Envelope

Congrats to the 20 writers who made the long-list. The overall standard of entries was fair. There were 124 entries in total (including Bursary and 50% Discounted categories).

The announcement of the shortlist of 10 will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which stories made the cut. 

The NEW Plaza Flash Fiction Prize (1000 words max) is open to enter. Judged by the brilliant David Gaffney. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 31st March 2024.

Poetry (20 lines max): Winners

Winning Poetry Entries
(titles listed in reverse order)

All the comments below are from our judge, Rory Waterman. The Plaza Prizes really appreciate his support and expertise.

‘A poem has to be the most powerful thing you can say in the shortest space possible’ – so said Charles Causley, one of my favourite poets of the last century, though he rarely wrote very short poems, it must be said. Neither do I, though I love them, at least in theory. As Simon Armitage has put it, ‘The short poem, at its best, brings about an almost instantaneous surge of both understanding and sensation unavailable elsewhere’.

It’s intriguing how many of the poems that came to me were towards the competition’s upper line limit of 20 lines, though I don’t know what to say about that, other than that I would’ve liked to see a higher proportion of exceptionally short, resonant poems. Perhaps the very notion of a competition implies that pithier pieces are likelier to be thrown out. In any case, several of the poems I received were powerful little works of compression and inference, and the very best did indeed bring about an almost instantaneous surge of understanding and sensation. Very few were experimental, in the usual conception of that word, but several poets proved themselves to be pleasingly and often successfully innovative.’

Highly Commended (4th) – ‘How Every Day Begins’ by Jenny Pollak (AUS)

‘The first part of this two-part poem is a thoughtful but terse analysis of impetus – ‘the dog’s impetus to follow the stick. The tiny caterpillar, / which knows it must keep eating until something happens, / but doesn’t appear to know anything about flying.’ The second part, a monostich, turns this into apparent ars poetica, ‘In which the trick is learning how to put all of it into one sentence.’ I find this entirely alluring, but I can’t quite get to the heart of it: why would this all need to be in one sentence?’

3rd prize – ‘Rocking Chair Song’ by Julie Sheridan (SCO)

‘This is a loose, empathetic villanelle: ‘Rock back and forth on the brink of light. / If I promised you more it would be a lie.’ The setting is a safe house for girls in Guatemala; the poem is not in the slightest patronising, though of course it runs the risk of such an unfounded accusation, particularly as it leaves us to make our own minds up – a very unfashionable thing to do, but often the only way in which a poem can really nourish: ‘I could rewrite the lines of your lullaby, / say when the bough breaks the thunder will stop / but we both know that it would be a lie.’ Beautiful, with meaningful line-breaks.’

2nd prize – ‘Tiddlers’ by Mike Farren (ENG)

‘This is a vivid anecdotal poem, full of sentiment without toppling into sentimentality. ‘The net is the brightest green I’ve ever seen’, it begins – in apparent hyperbole, until we realise the speaker is a child of six, filtered through an adult’s sense of innocence and experience. The poem ends with a poetic staple – the child’s life is all ahead of it – but this is nicely undercut: the hemlock that ‘smells of wee’ is of course toxic, as the adult surely knows; ‘we’ve all our lives to catch’ the fish, but we don’t really.’

1st prize – ‘The Bat Cave’ by Paul McMahon (IRE)

‘This really is a beautifully evocative little poem. The first sentence rolls on and on, meaningfully and energetically enjambed (‘she / disappeared’, ‘blinded / in sunlight’ – from her perspective, suddenly), and the simple second sentence conclusively answers it, as suddenly as the cave seems to conclude the argument. Or does it? The final image is beautiful, but also forbidding: is this a portent? When I first read this poem, I liked it tremendously, but wondered whether there was enough to it – then it stayed with me, and I thought more and more about that ending and all it could mean. I wanted to read it again, and again. And that is why it wins: it is, conclusively, at least for me, so much more than the sum of its little parts.’

Well done to those poets who made the final cut. They will receive their prizes at our 2024 awards ceremony and their poems will be published in The Plaza Prizes Poetry Anthology in October 2024, along with all those on the shortlist.

The NEW Plaza Poetry Prize (60 lines) is open to enter. Judged by Tim Liardet. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 29th Feb 2024.

Poetry (20 lines max): Shortlist (Top 10)

Top 10 Poetry Entries
(titles listed in no particular order)

Rocking Chair Song

Tiddlers

Sunrise Run Club

Native Title

In Comic Relief

Turned

How every day begins (your whole life)

The Old Milking Cow

The Bat Cave

Swan’s Wings

Congratulations to those talented 10 who made the shortlist.

The announcement of the winners will happen on the News page next week. So, pop back to see which poems made the final cut. 

The NEW Plaza Poetry Prize (60 lines) is open to enter. Judged by Tim Liardet. 1st prize: £1,000. Deadline: 29th Feb 2024.

Girl in a jacket

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