‘That’s Absurd!’ Contest Shortlist
Photographer - Tobi Brun
‘That’s Absurd’ Anthology Contest Shortlist
Winner - Tacenda, Jamie Good.
Jamie Good is waiting for the fairies to come and abduct her back into the fairy world. Until then, she has not at all been a menace and has only ever been up to nice, everyday, perfectly legal things.
Honorable Mention - Squirrel Husband, M.C. Schmidt.
M.C. Schmidt's recent short fiction has appeared in Southern Humanities Review, EVENT, Coolest American Stories 2024, and elsewhere. He is the author of the novel, The Decadents (Library Tales Publishing, 2022). He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University.
Honorable Mention - The State v. Nathan Crane or: The Trial of Fill in the Blank, Nick Seifert.
Nick Seifert holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a fiction concentration from George Mason University and a Master of Arts in English from St. Cloud State University. Currently, Nick is a Master Instructor in the Department of English at Howard University where he teaches creative writing and composition. Additionally, he teaches a creative writing course at Georgetown University. Nick serves as the managing editor and faculty advisor for Howard University’s premiere literary arts journal, The Amistad. He has lived in Minneapolis, New York City, Seoul, South Korea and has traveled extensively. Nick’s fiction has appeared in various print and online publications. His latest work, “Using Experiential Learning to Elevate Black Voices: Analyzing Howard University’s Journal, The Amistad” was published in the book Teaching Humanities With Cultural Responsiveness at HBCUs and HSIs.
Honorable Mention - Ouroboros over a Pond of Water Lilies, Yuyi D. He.
Yuyi D. He is a Chinese-Canadian girl completing an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Edinburgh. Previously unpublished (and now published in this anthology), she is trying her best to get her short stories and poems printed, which are often philosophically inspired and psychologically rich. Her literary idol is Japan's Yukio Mishima. In her free time, she can be found staring into space and thinking about aesthetics.
The Next Scene, Adam Southers.
Adam Southers is a writer and educator from Tipp City, Ohio. He currently teaches English and Creative Writing at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. After graduating with a degree in Language Arts Education from Miami University, Adam returned to Miami to receive a Master’s degree through the Ohio Writing Project. When Adam is not teaching or writing, he can be found coaching tennis or spending time with his partner, Kaitlin, and their dog, Lola. More of Adam’s work, including short fiction, writing advice, and non-fiction essays ranging from comedy to politics, can be found at medium.com/@adam.southers.
THE HOUSE TREE, Deryn Pittar.
Deryn Pittar writes Sci.fi., Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult, contemporary fiction, short and flash fiction. - and dabbles in poetry.She is published in all of these genres and won a Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Young Adult in 2018 for ‘Lutapolii – White Dragon of the South. Her dystopian novel, ‘The Carbonite’s Daughter’, was a finalist in the Sir Julius Vogel Awards,2023. The sequel ‘Quake City’ will be released in August. Her latest novel, “On the Wind’, a contemporary rural escapade set in New Zealand is being released on the 31st March, on Amazon. This month she came second in a national contest run by The Cambridge Autumn Festival for her piece ‘Living is Hard’. Sign up for her newsletter here: https://iwriteuread.substack.com
THE LAUGHTER OF HYENAS AT BAY, Adam J Galanski-De León.
Adam J. Galanski-De León is the author of the novella, "The Magpie Funeral" (Querencia Press), and the forthcoming novel, "Szarotka" (American Buffalo Books). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Farside Review, Jimson Weed, Soundings East, the Running Wild Press Novella Anthology, and other journals. Adam lives in Chicago, IL with his wife and four cats. He maintains a website at http://www.adamjgalanskideleon.com
House Emeritus, Froshie Evans.
Froshie is an author and poet living in Bristol, UK with her plethora of plants, two cats, and her partner. By day she works in marketing for a tech company, and when she isn’t behind a desk, she’s found either in the gym, running, or on a mountain trail. When it comes to writing, she trained originally as a screenwriter but has since found publishing and performance success with short stories and poetry. She is currently working on an anthology of short stories about motherhood and the climate crisis, and an ecocritical fantasy novel. She is also applying for her PhD in Literature.
Questionable Continuity: the Absurdist Buddy Cop Adventures of Sid and Royce, Joshua D Taylor.
Joshua D. Taylor is an author from Southeastern Pennsylvania who never stopped playing make-believe. He enjoys gardening, comic books, ska-punk music, Disney World, and traveling with his wife and son. Raised during the weirdness that was the late 20th century Josh’s eclectic interests produce eclectic works. He loves to mix-n-match things from different genres and story elements to achieve a madcap hodgepodge of the truly unexpected. His books can be found at amazon.com/author/joshuadtaylor and facebook.com/authorjoshuadtaylor.
ZUGZWANG into ZWISCHENZUG, A.C. Perri.
A.C. Perri lives in the southern hemisphere where she has been writing free-style poetry and pieces of fiction described as 'delightfully unconventional' and 'over-the-top' creative works for many years. She has won awards for her work in local writing competitions having had a few published in Indie magazines. Perri’s most endearing quality is her persistence.
The Life We Left Behind, Alice Baburek.
Alice Baburek is an avid reader, determined writer, and animal lover. She lives with her partner and four canine companions. Being retired she challenges herself to become an unforgettable emerging voice.
WORKDAY RITUAL, Dylan Webster.
Dylan Webster lives and writes in the sweltering heat of Phoenix, AZ. He is the author of the poetry collection Dislocated (Quillkeepers Press, 2022), and his poetry and fiction have appeared, and are forthcoming in, anthologies by Quillkeepers Press and Neon Sunrise Publishing; as well as the journals Ghost City Review, Resurrection Mag, 5enses Magazine, The Dillydoun Review, Last Leaves, The Cannons Mouth by Cannon Poets Quarterly, Amethyst Review, and The Chamber Magazine. Dylan has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as the Best of The Net.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING PUFFLINGS, Kelly Karsner-Clarke.
A New England expat, Kelly Karsner-Clarke lives deep in the wilds of the Fort Lauderdale suburbs with her husband, children, and more pets than she wants the HOA to know about. While this part of her identity doesn’t factor into this story, she is a multi-disabled creator. A member of SCBWI and HWA, longtime Cybils Awards judge, and recipient of a 2020 SCBWI Rising Kite Honorable mention, she does something or other with cyber security when not writing or screaming at her kids to finish their homework.
Monolith, P. Fey.
Perseverance Fey is a Dayton local queer artist and author. When they aren't working on their novel, you can find them playing ttrpgs and listening to audiobooks.
Weapon of the Heart, Luke Docherty.
The Anthology is set for publication MAY 31ST 2024, Stay tuned for preorder release!
