Kallisto Gaia Press is pleased to announce the winners of the Summer Writing Contests 2018.
Antonio Ruiz-Camacho has chosen “The Line” by Robert Morgan Fisher as the winner of the Chester B. Himes Memorial Fiction Prize. Mr. Fisher will receive $750 and his story will be published in The Ocotillo Review Volume 3.1. 
The judge had this to say about his selection. “What a delight it was to read ‘The Line.’ I am usually drawn to rather obscure stories that illuminate through suffering and grief the most neglected crevices of the human condition. But in a time when fiction seems unable to trump reality’s desolation, ‘The Line’ is the kind of story I needed to read. It reminded me that, no matter how desolate the world may become, no matter how absurd choosing hope may be, it is in the darkest of times that we should dare embrace our most hopeful dreams.
Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote, ‘The Line’ is delirious, and gripping, and smart. Its language is swift and sharp, its characterizations bold and quick, and the surprises it holds for you at the end make it ultimately moving. But, above all, it’s a daringly funny story – and making a reader laugh out loud is a high, rather tough, art. And in times of hopelessness, it is also a necessity, an artist’s responsibility.
I was so thankful to read “The Line.” I enjoyed its joyful, irreverent take on a seemingly untouchable classic of literature. It reminded me how ambitious, how bold, it is to keep hoping for the best even when all you see looming in the horizon is pitch black.”
First runner-up is Nancy Scott Hanway for her story “Drowning Ritual“. She will also receive publication.
Carrie Fountain selected “Muff Ode” by Cynthia White as the winner of the Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize. Ms. White will receive $750 and her poem will be published in The Ocotillo Review Volume 3.1. 
The judge said, “Muff Ode” is imagistic, surprising, tender and sly. It achieves a clarity of image and a wonderful, surprising voice. Its ending was especially well-executed, turning toward the larger gesture without falling overboard. I also appreciate the poet’s strong navigation of the sentence: clear and delightful syntax create a clear and delightful speaker.
First runner-up is “We Were Expecting Strawberries” by Jonathan Greenhause. He will also receive publication.
Honorable mentions include:
Learning Braille by Joshua Dugat
How I Came To Be Myself by C. W. Emerson
All poets and writers who entered the contest will be considered for publication.
Kallisto Gaia Press Supports Medical Research
One of our goals for the Summer Writing Contests included donating a significant portion of the revenue to researching a cure and treatment for terminal diseases that affect so many in the literary arts community. The Julia Darling Memorial Poetry Prize generated enough revenue after expenses that we were able to donate $348 to M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Foundation. Although the Chester B. Himes Memorial Fiction Prize did not generate any revenue after expenses, the board members of Kallisto Gaia Press authorized $100 to be paid to the Michael J Fox Parkinson’s Foundation. We consider the first annual contest to be a success and plan to continue it in the future.
