After weeks of deliberation our Fiction judge, Charlotte Gullick has chosen Pearl Harbor by Leslie Carlin as the winner of the Chester B. Himes Memorial Short Fiction Prize. She had this to say about her selection.

“This story demonstrates keen insight about how decisions accrue meaning and impact over time. The writing is clear and engaging and the ending wraps around the reader in a haunting realization – as I think it does for the character.”

Carlin will receive $1000 and the story will be featured in the upcoming issue of The Ocotillo Review Volume 5.1 which will release on February 8, 2021.

Leslie Carlin is a medical anthropologist who has lived and worked in the US, the UK, and now Canada. She has published a number of short stories, several of which have won awards. Leslie recently completed the Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.  She writes an occasional blog called Travails of a Transatlantic Transplant (https://transatlantictravails.blogspot.com). Leslie lives in Toronto with her husband, children, pets, and houseplants.

 

 

“Distance Divided By Time”, authored by Desiree Remick, was selected as Runner-up for the honor.

Gullick said, “I super admired the setting, the characters, and the evocative imagery. – I really hope this writer keeps at it!”

Remick will receive $100 and publication in the upcoming issue of The Ocotillo Review Volume 5.1.

Desiree Remick is an avid writer of poetry, short stories, and a YA novel (for which she is seeking an agent). She will be pursuing a BFA in creative writing in 2021. Besides her passion for all things literary, she also teaches a children’s fencing class at her local YMCA. “Distance Divided By Time” is her first published story.