Arts

We received more than 100 submissions of very short fiction (about 500 words) in response to a prompt issued Aug. 29 by Molly McNett. McNett is an award-winning author and English faculty member at Northern Illinois University. Her prompt required an opening sentence describing "an outrageous, inexplicable situation." McNett selected the following winners:"Losers Weepers," by Marie Watson (First Place);"The Glass Children," by Ashley Keyser (Second Place);Two stories tied for Third Place:"A Popload of Cash," by Andrew Kopecky;"The Tragedy of Childcare," by Ben Covey.The winners were heard during Morning Edition from Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 4-7. Scroll down on this page to see videos of the authors reading their work.McNett also selected six other writers whose work she believed deserved "honorable mention." Videos of them reading their work are collected below.

These Flash Fiction Writers Earn 'Honorable Mention'

Northern Public Radio | By Dan Klefstad

Published October 7, 2016 at 6:44 AM CDT

Our Flash Fiction judge, Molly McNett, selected four winning stories -- a first-place winner, a second-place winner, and two stories that tied for third. The authors got to read their stories to WNIJ listeners during Morning Edition.

Of the 110 submissions, McNett felt six more stories deserved honorable mentions. These authors got to read their stories in our studios and have them video recorded.

We include those readings below. And we wish each of them all the best as they continue to hone their craft. Who knows? One of these authors could be the next Stephen King or Ann Patchett. If that happens, remember: You saw them here first.