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Lipstick and Gunpowder Writing Contest
This contest didnât ask for softness; it asked for courage. It asked writers to stare into the smoke after the explosion, to trace the red smear on a broken mirror, and to whisper love through clenched teeth.
Each submission carried its own fire. Some simmered with quiet menace and psychological depth, others detonated with startling lyricism. Many haunted me, lines echoing long after Iâd closed the page. What moved me most wasnât just the talent, but the bravery. Writers laid bare their darkest what-ifs, tangled desires, and defiant heartbreaks, and trusted us to read with care.
As I judged, I kept asking: Does this piece make me feel something real? Does it bruise beautifully? The answer, again and again, was yes.
What youâll find in this collection is not only raw and razor-sharp but also laced with humanity, grief wrapped in silk, love laced with danger, beauty sharpened to a point.
To all the contributors: thank you. Thank you for letting your muse wear both lipstick and gunpowder. For writing what wasn't safe, but what needed to be said.
Warmly,
Sushravya Shetty
Poems That Go Boom: Lipstick & Gunpowder Champs Announced! đ„
When we lit the match for Lipstick and Gunpowder, we didnât expect a wildfire. The outpouring of responses we received wasnât just stories and poems. They were confessions, sirens, requiems. Each one left a mark.
Now, after reading through Smoke and Silk, we are honoured to reveal the voices that rose from the ashesâour selected winners and contributors.
A standing ovation to the absurd, the surreal, and the heartbreakingly hilariousâŠ.
THE SEVENTH COINCIDENCE IS FREE by DIMITRY PARTSI
About the work:
In "The Seventh Coincidence is Free", love is not a feeling; itâs a philosophical sparring match. Desire is a quantum glitch. And identity? Well, thatâs just a script you forgot you wrote.
Amid malfunctioning logic, recursive punchlines, and dangerously charming metaphysics, two mismatched minds stumble into something unnamable. This story doesnât just challenge the boundaries of character; it lights a match and dances inside the smoke.
đ Explosive, disorienting, and strangely tender, this is Lipstick and the Gunpowder in its purest form.
Congratulations, Dimitry. You broke our mirror, and weâre still clapping.
About the author:
Dimitry Partsi is an Australian writer who specializes in finding the absurdity in modern life. He is currently working on a collection of short stories
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Now, for a piece that crackles with cleverness and irresistible charm, our first runner-up is...
CYNTHIA CON CONSUELA by ANDY BETZ
About the work:
Alliteration becomes seduction in Andy Betzâs electric, deliciously decadent poem Cynthia Con Consuela. Itâs a dizzying waltz of wit, lust, and linguistic flair, where every âCâ is a caress, a command, or a confession.
Sultry, smart, and utterly unapologetic, this piece sizzles with longing and power play. It wasnât just a poem but an orchestra of cabernet.
Congratulations, Andy! Your verse kissed like velvet and struck like fire.
About the Author:
Andy Betz has tutored and taught for more than 40 years and has been married for 32 years. His works are found everywhere a search engine operates.
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Now for a voice that sears with precision and historyâs shadow, our second runner-up isâŠ
REVERSE EUPHORIA, CLEOPATRAâS SMILE HAD KNIVES INSIDE IT, MATA HARIâS MIRROR by DANIEL ABUKURI
About the work:
Each poem unravels the tension between allure and aftermath, desire and destruction.
Reverse Euphoria is a gut-punch of post-love devastation: tender, furious, unforgettable.
Cleopatraâs Smile Had Knives Inside It reimagines power and seduction through a historical queen whose beauty is never without its edge.
Mata Hariâs Mirror walks the tightrope between performance and betrayal, where intimacy becomes espionage and surrender becomes sacrifice.
These poems donât just fit the theme; they sharpen it. Each one a love letter dressed like a warning.
About the Author:
Daniel Naawenkangua Abukuri is a Ghanaian writer, poet, and literary critic. He was a finalist for the 2025 Adinkra Poetry Prize and twice shortlisted for the Goethe-Institutâs Young Creative Writing Lab. His work has appeared in outlets, including Lolwe, The Kalahari Review, Brittle Paper, Eunoia Review, Spillwords, Poets for Science, and Poetry Potion
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Presenting our Top Finalists
These standout entries pushed the boundaries of the theme with bold, unforgettable voices. Each piece captured the raw tension between beauty and brutality in its own unique way.
Congratulations to the following finalists:
ROULETTE, JUDITH AND HER HANDMAIDEN HAVE A SMOKE AFTERWARD, TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE INSPIRING FATALE by AURORA MCKEE
THREESOME by BRENDAN ALPINER
THE MAN WHO WAS DEAD FIRST by JESSICA FOGAL
MURDER IN ROOM 305 by RYAN RAHMAN
BETWEEN THE SHELVES by MICHELLE BALOGH
THE SHOW MUST GO ON: AND THE FLESH WAS MADE WORD by KEN HOGARTY
A LOST LIFE by VANESSA GRILLONE
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