Wingless Dreamer short-story contest for Children’s book 2021

Children bring joy to the world. Their bright eyes sparkle with curiosity and their laughter fills the air with happiness. They are the embodiment of innocence, their minds are always exploring, creating and imagining new possibilities. Children see the beauty in the simplest things and embrace life without any judgement. Whether they’re building sandcastles on the beach, climbing trees in the park, or simply running around in the yard, children bring a sense of playfulness and wonder to everything they do. They continue to inspire us to rediscover the magic in the world.

​

In our pursuit to recognize today’s best Children’s story writer, we conducted the contest Wingless Dreamer Short story Contest for Children 2021. In the last few months, we have been tirelessly working to review all the submissions received for this contest and finally, we’re glad that our editorial team has come to a decision. While we primarily serve as a platform for new writers, this contest is meant to support and elevate the poetry community on the whole. We look forward to conducting more contests where emerging and established poets are considered in equal measure.

​

Without any further ado, let’s cue the confetti.

​

We’re all very excited to share with you the 1st place winner of the 2021 Wingless Dreamer Short story Contest for Children, selected by judge, Ruchi Acharya!

​

David Grubb- The discarded Garden

David Grubb, a retired Coastguard Warrant Officer, has creatively written since childhood, yet career/family always came first. He’s changing that aspect of life and loving every minute. His work appears in Touchstone, Toasted Cheese, 1:1000, Sixfold.org, The Elevation Review, Every Day Fiction, The Abstract Elephant, The Bookends Review, Wingless Dreamer, & Ab Terra Flash Fiction. www.agrubbylife.com

​

The first runner-up is:

​

Amanda Meyer- Confessions of a Homesick Camper

Amanda Meyer is a Midwest native poet, who earned her BA in writing from Carroll University in 2014. Some of her previously published work has appeared in Awakenings, Indolent Books, and The Barefoot Review. In her free time, Amanda enjoys board gaming, spending time in nature, and playing with her tiny cat son.

​

The second runner-up is:

​

Niamh O’Meara – Cordelia’s Conundrum

Niamh O’Meara has been writing creatively since childhood, having been raised in a household where the poems of Robert Frost, James Joyce, Walter de la Mere, and Austin Clarke were read as bedtime stories. Her work has been published in many online and print journals with the most recent publications being Poems of Adventure Anthology (2020) and Bluing the Blade (2020). Originally from Ireland, she currently lives in Australia where she is a member of both the Irish Writers Association in Dublin and the Northern Territory Writers Centre in Australia.

​

Here’s are the top finalists:

​

James Gabriel- The King’s stew

James Gabriel is an award-winning playwright who lives and works somewhere in the wastelands of the California desert.

​

Rollin Jewett – Shoulda Coulda Woulda

Rollin Jewett is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, singer/songwriter, poet, author, and photographer. His screenwriting credits include “Laws of Deception” and “American Vampire”. His short stories, poetry, and photography have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies and his plays have been produced all over the world.

​

E.P. La Brecque – What will you be?

I’m a poet, writer, and essayist who splits my time between Northern California and Detroit, where I’m involved in projects to strengthen the region’s economy, social equity, and cultural assets. By day I run a brand communications strategy firm and a naming service. This story is one of seven I wrote as a reading primer for one of my daughters, who will soon turn six. I challenged myself to use one-syllable words only. A sample of my work appears on eplabrecque.squarespace.com.

​

Elissa Michele Zacher – What does an Elephant’s Garden grow?

Elissa Michele Zacher has written for The Epoch Times, Ottawa Natural, Apt, The Leaf, Essence Poetry Journal, RiversSide, and the Dawntreader Magazine. Elissa spends her days, when not writing or working in retail, haunting museums and deserted graveyards and indulging her interest in the social history of the ordinary person. Her poetry is her way of capturing moments by creating visuals with words and her articles and is meant to encourage curiosity. This is her first foray into children’s literature.

​

Victoria Rosenberger – Viridian’s Biggest Job

I am an unexpected stay-at-home mom, as in, it was NEVER my intention to dedicate every waking and non-waking moment of my life to my 2.5-year-old, but here we are! I have a Bachelor’s in journalism and have worked for more than 10 years in various writing-heavy, marketing-related roles from Executive Director of a small non-profit, to most recently, the Director of a contemporary art gallery. I live with my son, Viridian, and husband, Valerio, in Philadelphia.