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Black Ice, Broken Lights Writing Contest
Reading Black Ice, Broken Lights felt like walking through a winter night, where the air is sharp enough to wake you and the shadows hold as much weight as the light. Each piece in this anthology navigates the treacherous, beautiful terrain of the human experience,exploring quiet grief, the stillness of frozen memories, and the resilience required to find a flicker of hope in the dark.
Judging this collection was a hauntingly difficult task. The entries did not just describe darkness; they inhabited it. There were poems that cracked like ice underfoot, stories that shimmered with the distortion of broken glass, and essays that found a strange, compelling beauty in what is usually left unsaid. Together, these works form a landscape that is stark, chilling, but undeniably alive.
To those who placed, congratulations on capturing the fragility and force of this theme so perfectly. And to every contributor, thank you for trusting us with your shadows and for showing us that even broken lights can guide the way. This anthology stands as a powerful reminder that there is profound art to be found in
the cold.
With warmth and gratitude,
Prarthana Binish
The grand winner of Black Ice is
We are delighted to unveil the winners and finalists of Black Ice, Broken Lights.
This anthology is a study in contrasts, a collection that navigates the sharp edges of grief and the soft, persistent glow of resilience. These works do not shy away from the cold; instead, they find a stark, crystalline beauty within it. From the silence of snow-covered memories to the sudden crack of realization, these pieces remind us that even in the deepest winter, there is a fire that refuses to go out. Some works explored the architecture of static and silence, others the courage found in a winter wait, yet all were bound by a commitment to vulnerability. Congratulations to all our winners and finalists! Your words have captured the beauty of the broken and preserved it in light.
A standing ovation for our grand winner:
THE ARCHITECTURE OF STATIC - JENNY HART
Jenny Katherine Hart is a writer who finds inspiration in the raw, unpolished edges of human experience. From the quiet grief of a winter landscape to the flickering hope of a new season, her work reflects a commitment to vulnerability and truth. Based in Washington, she draws from the stillness of the Pacific Northwest to craft narratives that resonate with warmth and a touch of the mysterious.
1st Runner Up
WINTER WAIT - FATIN ZAKLOUTA
Fatin Zaklouta writes literary fiction attentive to interior lives, quiet encounters, and the emotional weight of what goes unspoken. Her work has appeared in No Harm Intended, Table Eleven, Good Mothers Don’t Say That, and What Remains. She lives in Germany with her two children and holds a PhD in computer vision.
2nd Runner Up
COLD WINTER COURAGE, A TRILOET - LORA BUTCHER
Lora Butcher won first place in Chorus of Selves by Wingless Dreamer for her flash fiction; second for poetry in the Bright Star Award 2024, and second in the Spring contest 2025 of the Poetry Society of Indiana. She has work forthcoming in Yellow: A Hue Are You anthology from Jambu Press, and Quillkeeper’s Press Shakespearean Sonnet Anthology. She has been published in Orchards Poetry Journal, The Hedge Apple Literary Magazine, and The Lyric. She hosts a weekly writer’s group called Shut Up & Write.
FINALISTS
These seven writers approached the theme with a piercing gaze and an open heart. Their voices range from the elegiac to the raw, exploring the liminal spaces where seasons change and memories linger. Whether mapping the architecture of being alive or tracing the ghost of a winter past, each poet and storyteller added a vital shard of light to this mosaic. Together, they turned Black Ice, Broken Lights into a profound meditation on endurance.
THE ONES WHO FALL QUIETLY - SAMUEL GOULD
S.D. Gould is a contemporary poet whose work explores grief, neurodivergence, intimacy, and the quiet catastrophes of being human. His writing blends emotional precision with atmospheric imagery, moving between tenderness and rupture with deliberate restraint. Gould’s poems often navigate the edges of survival. His work has been described as raw, unflinching, and devastatingly intimate. Gould writes for those who feel too much, too deeply, and too quietly. He currently lives and writes in Australia.
NACH UND NACH - REGAN CONRAD
R. Noelle Conrad, a Chicago native and emerging poet, finds herself back home after a near-decade of gallivanting out West. Her writing is shaped by her autism, motherhood, polar vortexes, mountain hot springs, and the in-between. She occasionally posts her writing to @makangerous.bsky.social on BlueSky.
THE MEMORY-KEEPER’S LAST WINTER; THE KEEPER OF THE THAW; TO RUN WITH THE WINGLESS THINGS - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR
Ashok Jahagirdar is a writer drawn to the elegiac beauty of liminal spaces. His work, which spans speculative fiction and literary prose, examines how places and seasons hold emotion. He believes winter’s greatest darkness isn't the cold, but what it threatens to make us forget.
BEFORE THE DOORWAY OF DECEMBER; THE LIGHT DIES ANYWAY - HOPE CRAIG
Hope Craig has been writing for as long as she can remember, finding in words a place where she can truly be herself. Through fiction and poetry, she pours her heart onto the page, transforming her thoughts, feelings, and experiences into stories that resonate. Her work often blends raw vulnerability with lyrical expression. For her, writing is not just storytelling; it is a way to illuminate her inner life, connect with others, and keep the fire inside alive.
HIGH ART, LOW ART - LINA BUIVIDAVIČIŪTĖ
Lina Buividavičiūtė was born on May 14, 1986. She is a poet and literary critic. Lina is an author of three poetry books in the Lithuanian language. Her poetry is published in Matter, Masters, Drunk Monkeys, Beyond Words, The Dewdrop, Maudlin House, and Versopolis poetry platform. Upcoming publications will appear in New Millennium Writings, Cathexis Northwest Press, and The Stardust Review.
LIGHTHOUSE IN THE SKY - CORVUS AERO
Corvus Aero is a history major from Pittsburgh, PA. They draw influence from Greek mythology, manga, and hip-hop to deliver a unique and honest style of writing. With hopes of building a world one day, Corvus is looking to use poetry as a vehicle to reach that destination.
ON SOLSTICE HE REPLACES HER FLOWERS WITH CABBAGES; A QUIET SEASON - PATRICK TROMBLY
Patrick Trombly published poetry at the College of the Holy Cross in 1989-1990. Upon graduation, he spent 35 years away from poetry. He began writing again in early 2025, and he has since published in multiple journals including Wingless Dreamer.
Honor to our talented contributors:
ABOUT OUR IMAGES - RICHARD ERIC JOHNSON
OUT SMARTED MOVES - REEBIE FLOWERS
UNDER AN AUSTERE SKY - KERSTEN CHRISTIANSON
MY PRETTY WINTER - ERIN C. KYLE
RAW - KATERINA CANYON
EMPTY SOUL - SOMETHING NEW - A WINTER’S NIGHT SOLILOQUY - ALEXANDRA GRANT
NOTHING - DISSIDENCE - MANUEL JIMENEZ
THE LANGUAGE OF ENDINGS - ALEXIS ANDRADE
THE END OF THE FIRST WEEK OF WINTER - ALBY T. GRACE
A SINGLE SNEAKER IN THE GRASS - JILL E. T. BEMIS
ICE STORM - DON PALMER
WITHIN THE SHADOWS OF ICE - ALEX ANDY PHUONG
A PATH ANEW - TOMMY CHAMPION
CERVUS MORTUUS - RICARDO GONZALEZ-ROTHI
THE GREAT SLEEP - KELLY HEGI
THIN ICE (THE STORYTELLER) - PORSCHE JONES
SHIVER - VIRGINIA ELIZABETH SAMUEL
THE NIGHT WE BECAME A MIDNIGHT MASS - MEGAN BROWN
UNTITLED - LEOTIS HARGROVE
MY DARKEST DESIRES - MARIA A PERDOMO
SHHH! - ANDY BETZ
WEST-WARD COLD - TERRY BRINKMAN
SHINY - JIM SENNET
POEM TO MISS SAVAGE - A.J. CHILSON
THE AMERICAN GATE - ADNAN ADNAN
A WINTER NIGHT - TULIP CHOWDHURY
ANGELINA - BILL SIMMONS
HIDDEN RISK - HOWARD OSBOURNE
FROSTBITE - DOMINEE KAISER
WE BURIED MY MOTHER - EMI BERGQUIST
OHIO’S CRUEL WINTER - JESSICA QUICK
WINTER RESET - HOLLY JANE KEEHN
WINTER - RAKHIM POWERS
BRIGHTON, ONCE - AMBER LETHE
HIDDEN FOLK - KATLA MARÍA GUÐMUNDSDÓTTIR
LOVE, INCOMPLETE… - TANIA PRZYWARA
A SERENE, WHITE EXPANSE - ARDA ÜNAL
SUNFLOWERS FOR UKRAINE - JENNIFER WEIGEL
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