"This anthology, as all anthologies do, contains a limited number of pages and a limited number of stories by a limited number of contributors. It has one inevitable foot in the life of scarcity. But it stands with its other foot in the writing life of abundance; it was made by and for writers and readers spread across an entire state, eager to hear what stories we have to offer to each other, eager to see how writers at different ages and speaking different languages can speak to each other, and eager to read the literal thousands of pages of humor and heartbreak coming from writers brave and hard-working enough to tell and share their stories."
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Caitlin Horrocks
, from the foreword to the Write Michigan 2023 Anthology
The Write Michigan Short Story Contest is in its eleventh year. We are delighted to have entries 347 unique Michigan zip codes this year, including the Upper Peninsula! This statewide contest offers opportunities for writers in three age groups - 11 and under, 12 - 17 years old, and 18 and older - with four cash prizes awarded in each category.
The stories in this anthology are among the 1,250 submitted between September 1 and November 30, 2022. A group of 186 volunteers initially screened the stories; each story was rated and reviewed anonymously by at least two volunteers to determine our top ten semifinalists in each category. A panel of judges, most published authors themselves, then reviewed the semifinalists' stories to determine which ones were the best of the best, while the public cast 1,249 votes for their favorites.
With this anthology, we share in the telling of some of the best stories imagined by Michigan writers. Printed in these pages are 21 stories, including the Judges' Choice, Judges' Choice Runner-Up, Readers' Choice, Spanish Language Winner and published finalists in each of the three categories.