Our latest round of Flash 405 was one for the record books! When “Nature” closed for submissions, Exposition Review editor Brianna J.L. Smyk had the daunting task of selecting just a few “vibrant pieces that dissect all the meanings of nature” from our largest entry pool yet.
Read on to explore the dark and light sides of human and Mother nature with the winners of Flash 405, April 2018: “Nature”!
Exposition Review is pleased to announce the next round of winners of Flash 405! Our April 2018 contest was judged by nationally recognized poet Edwin Bodney, who proposed the theme “Magnetism.” In doing so, he called for writers to explore how “the idea of being magnetized by known and unknown forces leaves an entire field for the many versions of ourselves to live in.”
We found ourselves attracted to many of the entries submitted, but a few stood out about the rest for their inherent tension and beautiful delivery. Read on to discover these powerful pieces for yourself!
Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2018: “Magnetism” Winners”
We opened our 2018 season of Flash 405 with a call to get selfish… or, more accurately, to explore selfishness, and avarice, and all other delightful and horrific forms of “Greed.” Judge Rebecca Luxton said of her theme that “greed is the beginning of so many great narratives,” and the submissions we received definitely reflected that.
Narrowing down these exceptional submissions was no easy feat, but we’re now excited to announce the winners of Flash 405, February 2018: “Greed”!
Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2018: “Greed” 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 Laura Rensing started off describing her prompt “Nemesis” with a simple truth: “Everyone’s got one.” And based on the number of entries we received, it seems you agree! Over 100 talented writers submitted their interpretations and experiences with enemies, oppositions, and overcomings.
Narrowing down these exceptional submissions was no easy feat, but after much deliberation, we can now reveal the winners of Flash 405, June 2017!
When we opened submissions for our April Flash 405 round, we didn’t think guest judge Trinie Dalton’s theme, “Shangri-La,” could get any more relevant. And yet, it’s become more necessary than ever to persist against the “grim political carnival” we now face, one that seems to double-down on its absurdity with every passing day.
Continue reading “Flash 405, April 2017: “Shangri-La” Winners”
For our first Flash 405 contest of 2017, judge and Expo editor Lauren Gorski asked for short form narratives that explored “the abnormal, deviations from the acceptable, the outsiders”—and you delivered, with a “monster” number of submissions! From February 4 to March 5, we broke another Flash 405 record for most entries, receiving almost 100 submissions!
Among these entries were stories that scared us, thrilled us, and softened us to the gentle monster within. Lauren wanted “the emotion of Quasimodo compacted to 405 words. The violence of Grendel in 4-5 lines. The conviction of John Proctor in 4-5 pages.” We think she got it. The winners that emerged were able to deftly weave emotion, ugliness, and horror to create very human, but no less memorable monsters. Read on to discover them for yourself!
Continue reading “Flash 405, February 2017, “Monster” Winners”
We are so pleased to announce the winners of the last Flash 405 contest of 2016! In early August, our judge and Expo editor Annlee Ellingson posed the theme “Connect,” asking writers to consider and explore this idea in all it’s various iterations (you can read more here!), and the pieces we received did not disappoint.
Continue reading “Flash 405, August 2016: “Connect” Winners”
From June 4 to July 5, we received an amazing number of entries for our Flash 405 contest (our largest yet!). They spanned every genre: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, stage, and screen. Some stories even blurred the boundaries of genre—fitting, given this month’s theme of “Metamorphosis,” chosen by guest judge and acclaimed novelist, critic, and essayist Judith Freeman.
Continue reading “Flash 405, June 2016: “Metamorphosis” Winners”
Exposition Review had a great #AWP16–we launched Vol I: “IX Lives,” met some amazing writers, and heard some amazing work–and we wanted more. That’s why just a day after the conference ended, we opened submissions for our next round of Flash 405. Our chosen theme for this round was “Fault.” Judge Mellinda Hensley invited writers to think about rifts, blame, and brokenness–those tenuous moments that make us hold our breath.