Flash 405, August 2017: “Blue” Winners

Exposition Review is excited to announce the winners of Flash 405, August 2017: “Blue”! For our final 2017 round of Flash 405, guest judges David Lott and Michele Raphael, co-founders and editors of Angels Flight • literary west, called for works that would “take us into who and what we are and what we will become.”

Our winning writers delivered with some amazing pieces that take the reader through several lifetimes of emotion, of joy and pain, both real and imagined. Read on to see what our judges had to say:

Judge’s Comments: 

There were a number of amazing submissions for the theme “Blue”—a total of 148, a record we’re told. It strikes us as both beautiful and meaningful that so many people shared their time, talent, and effort to contribute. We were thrilled to be asked to be co-judges and to read an array of brilliant fiction, nonfiction, poetry and scripts.

We came up with the theme “Blue” to give writers a way to explore the diverse meanings of the word: everything from color and fluids to feelings and health, and even “going blue” in language and action. We loved the idea that one simple word could feed such a vast ocean of expression. And, since we’re in Los Angeles, we’ve always been drawn to the brightness and allure of the sky and water.

The winning selections found compelling, connective, and unique ways to show what “blue” represents throughout different mediums. At their core, they drew us in and had us relating instantly to complex themes, imagery, and communication. And, for us, there’s nothing more exciting than diving headlong into someone else’s exquisitely wrapped world, especially in short form, flash-delivered works. The pleasure was all ours.

– David Lott & Michele Raphael
Co-founders, Angels Flight • literary west

Congratulations to the winners! You can read their work (with individual comments from David & Michele) below:

1st Place:

Favorites by Cayce Osborne (Fiction)

2nd Place:

Crisis Management by Emma Musty (Nonfiction)

Honorable Mention:

Ricky-Jay Meets Pain by Neal Adelman (Stageplay)
Lighting the Stove by Megan Merchant (Poetry)
Lightning Bugs by Eric Andrew Newman (Fiction)

Congrats again to winners, and thanks to all who submitted for 2017 season of Flash 405! Our next round will begin in February 2018. In the meantime, we’re accepting work in all genres (including flash!) for our annual issue, Vol. III: “Orbit.” You can find more details here.