When it comes to fiction, the only thing harder than writing a solid short story is writing a really short short story. Which is exactly what a “postcard short” is. Locals were allowed a maximum of 250 words to tell a whole, satisfying tale. And it had to include the word “Broken,” in recognition of this year’s award sponsor, Broken Books. The 10-person longlist is an impressive roster of writers:

“Don’t Fix It” by Chris Bruce
“(re)Wild Children” by Allie Duff
“Tea for Who” by Tiffanie George
“Low to the Ground” by Willow Kean
“Sharo” by Mary Pike
“The Cartography of Them” by Kristine Power
“The Last Time” by Holly Rose
“On the Rocks” by Beth Ryan
“Resurfacing” by David Sparks

“This year we received almost 100 submissions from across the province from Norris Point to North Harbour to Happy Valley-Goose Bay,” says WANLs executive director Alison Dyer. “That’s the biggest uptake yet, and we appreciate the help of our partners Broken Books, the Newfoundland Quarterly, and the NL Public Library in spreading the word about this writing competition.”

This year’s judges were CBC Radio Host Angela Antle and author/actor Greg Malone. The winner and runners-up of the contest will be announced, and prizes given, at a celebration on Tuesday, June 30, starting at 8 PM, at the Ship Pub in St. John’s.

The shortlisted entries will be published in the summer issue of the Newfoundland Quarterly, available July 1.