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Mouring in Metaphor
As a judge, it has been an immense privilege to witness how creative writing in the realm of mourning poetry blooms through its beautiful gloom. The competition was fiercely close, and choosing a winner felt like navigating a storm—complete with moments of anxiety, existential pondering, and emotional turbulence. Yet, after much deliberation, I’ve arrived at the list of the winner, top finalists, and contributors.
I hope Mourning in Metaphors offers you a fresh perspective, inviting you to see grief in a new light. The universe may be chaotic, but so are we—and that’s what makes our stories powerful. Let’s break free from the cycle of trauma and self-pity. Instead, let’s honor our sadness, celebrating it as a testament to our resilience, and mourn with hope in our hearts.
Warm regards, Ruchi Acharya

Through ink and ache—announcing the winners of Mourning in Metaphor!
A standing ovation to the grand winner of the Mourning in Metaphor Contest:
SCOUT BORIGA - I KILLED MYSELF/ I BECAME THE UNIVERSE
Scout Boriga is an unpublished poet from the Philippines (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/scout-poetry). He has been honing his poetic voice by writing short poetry collections over the last year.
Beat the drums for the first runner-up:
AS DARKNESS FALLS - TERRY MILLER
Nottingham England-based writer Terry Miller honed his writing skills as a creative director for a number of advertising and creative agencies. Lately, a successful game inventor, Terry utilizes his skills to create evocative, funny, and sometimes disturbing poetry. Written in an accessible form, Terry's poetry is deceptively complex, often tackling topical issues and exploring deep emotional issues. Terry's poems have featured in several international poetry anthologies. https://www.instagram.com/terrymillerartist/
Blow the trumpets for the second runner-up:
HOARDS - 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 Lithuanian language. Her poetry is published in "Matter", "Masters", “Proverse poetry prize" contest anthologies, "Drunk monkeys", "Beyond words", "The Dewdrop", "The limit experience", "Poets choice", "HOW", "Beyond queer words", "Maudlin House", "Cathexis northwest press", "Poetry online" magazines and "Versopolis" poetry platform. Upcoming publications will appear in “New millennium writings”, "Cathexis northwest press", "Quillkeepers Press", "The Stardust review" and “Beyond words” magazine.
A huge round of applause for our top finalists:
VAMPIRE IN THE GLASS - B. LAWSON HULL
B. Lawson Hull has always been a storyteller. He particularly enjoys writing gothic historical fiction and poetry.
REPRIEVE - STUART STROMIN
Stuart Stromin is a South African-American writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. He was educated at Rhodes University, South Africa, the Alliance Francaise de Paris and UCLA. His latest novel is Wild Cards (Close2theBone Press), his latest book of short stories is subspace (EMP Press), and his latest book of poetry is Sea of Troubles (Bottlecap Press).
HALLOWED HALLUCINATIONS - DEVIN MORTENSEN- MILLER
Devin Mortensen-Miller has not so gracefully hurdled over barriers to earn her GED in 2013 and graduate with an Associates degree from Truckee Meadows Community College in 2019. Eventually limping to the finish line in 2023, she completed her Bachelors degree in English and Creative Writing with a focus in Fiction from Southern New Hampshire University. Devin spends her free time practicing conversations in the mirror and thinking of better comebacks for interactions from ten years ago. When she is not obsessively analyzing things she has said, she enjoys writing poetry and Science Fiction in between her re-watch sessions of tragically cancelled Sci-fi shows, The Office, and Schitt’s Creek. Devin draws inspiration from her family and her rescue kittens, Joxer the Mighty and Ash Williams, when writing. She strives to create works that have a lasting impression on the world and hopes to inspire others with her creativity.
MADHATTER - MARTIN SCHWARZ
Martin Schwarz is a young author from Prague, Czech Republic, whose drawer supply of poems has outgrown its dimensions, so he decided to start sending them around. Since his job in biomedicine is very evidence-based and scientific, he ventilates by writing poems and rock songs and by singing in the choir of Prague ́s RockOpera. He published his works in various printed and online literary magazines.
MISERY - JONATHAN GOLDMAN
Jonathan Goldman, teacher and master's candidate at Harvard Extension School, is from Los Angeles where he has worked in education for over a decade. Other than poetry, Jonathan also has a wide array of short stories that deal with local social causes in Southern California and hopes to be considered as part of a new movement of Modern fiction. Currently, he's working on a Cozy Fiction portal fantasy called The Little Brown Bird.




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