Write Michigan 2020 Anthology by Kent District Library

“What I’m suggesting is that to be a writer is to be a loser, and what we’re celebrating in this collection are those rare, wonderful moments of winning in a writerly existence of mostly losing. These stories are to be cherished, because even these writers, these brilliant and deserving winners, are themselves most of the time losers.” — Peter Ho Davies from his foreword to the Write Michigan 2020 Anthology

In its eighth year, the Write Michigan Short Story Contest is not so secret any longer. We are delighted this year to have entries from 259 unique zip codes in Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula! This statewide contest offers opportunities for writers in four categories—11 and under, 12–17 years old, age 18 and older and Spanish language—with three cash prizes awarded in each category. 

The stories in this anthology are among the 1.094 submitted between September 1 and November 30, 2019. A group of 188 volunteers initially screen the stories, two of them reading and rating each story anonymously to determine our top ten semifinalists in each category. A panel of judges, most published authors themselves, then review the semifinalists’ stories to see which ones shine the brightest, while the public cast 2,510 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 24 stories, including the Judges’ Choice, Judges’ Choice Runner-Up, Readers’ Choice, and published finalists in each of the four categories. 

Visit writemichigan.org for information on the Write Michigan Short Story Contest.