2012 Literary Contest Winners

The Association for Mormon Letters and Irreantum magazine are pleased to announce the winners of our 2012 literary contests. This year we received 72 fiction entries, 41 personal essay entries, and 46 poetry collection entries. Entries were judged blind, and our contest committee had a number of strong submissions from which to choose.

We are grateful to the Eugene England foundation for providing funding for our fiction and personal essay contests, and to Mary Ann Taylor for providing funding for our poetry contest. These contests would not be possible without their support, as well as the time and thoughtful consideration offered by Irreantum’s editorial staff and literary contest committee. Thank you to all who submitted, and congratulations to this year’s winners.

Poetry:
First Place ($200) — “Four Poems from Nowhere” by Simon Peter Eggertsen of Champlain, New York
Second Place ($150) — “Maple Tree” by Doug Talley of Fairlawn, Ohio
Third Place — ($100) “Matzevah” by Robert Brown of Rexburg, Idaho
Honorable Mention: ($50) “Why I Carry Your ID” by Melissa Dalton Bradford of Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Fiction:
First Place ($300) — “The Revelations of Douglas Chandler” by Scott M. Roberts of Fredericksburg, Virginia
Second Place ($200) — “A Strange Report From the Church Archives” by Steven L. Peck of Provo, Utah
Third Place ($100) — “Bishop Moon Sings the Stars” by Warren Hatch of Springville, Utah
Honorable Mention ($50) — “Timpanogos” by Heather Marx of Westwood, Massachusetts

Personal Essay:
First Place ($300) — “Dominant Hands” by Justin Kennington of Payson, Utah
Second Place ($200) — “The Checkers Champion of Orofino, Idaho,” by Jaren Watson of Rexburg, ID
Third Place — ($100) “The Soul’s Eye is a Red Star” by Les Blake of Salt Lake City, Utah
Honorable Mention ($50) — “Chronic” by Kylie Nielson Turley of Provo, Utah