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Monsoon Musings Writing Contest
Being a judge is not simply about selecting winners; it is about recognising the voice, emotion, creativity, and courage behind every submission. Each poem carries a unique perspective, and every writer brings a story that deserves to be heard. We were truly impressed by the creativity, originality, and emotional depth displayed throughout the competition. Choosing the winners was not an easy task, as so many entries demonstrated remarkable talent and a genuine love for poetry. To every participant, we want to say: your words matter. Whether your name appears among the winners or not, your participation is itself a step forward in your creative journey. Keep writing, keep experimenting, and most importantly, keep believing in your voice.
To our winners and selected writers, congratulations on your well- deserved recognition. May this achievement encourage you to continue creating and reaching new heights. And to everyone who shared their work with us, thank you for trusting us with your words. We hope this competition becomes not just a moment of recognition, but a memorable chapter in your journey as a writer. Keep writing. Keep creating. Keep inspiring.
With regards,
Chawa Nandini Meghana
Winner crowned in the Monsoon Musings
“Not so long ago, we hit rock bottom. Yes, you heard us right. We were shattered and lying hopelessly at the bottom of our hollowed souls. But we showed up. We showed up crying out loud. We showed up broken. We showed up looking miserable. We went from showing up only a couple of days a week to showing up every single day. Current status: We’re healing and slowly recovering. Slowly and steadily, with daily wins, we are taking baby steps to pull ourselves out of misery or say the void. The only message here is this: normalize the process of breaking down, restarting all over again, and rebuilding yourself from scratch. We are that kind of publisher.
Without any further ado, let's announce the winners.
The grand winner of Monsoon Musings Contest is:
LANDSCAPE WITH A SOFT DISAPPEARANCE - JOHN BRIXTER TINO
John Brixter Tino is a son of a fisherman and is a person with disabilities. He was raised in Perez, Quezon, Philippines. He currently serves as a part-time instructor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies. He was a recipient of the National Youth Achievement Award for Literary Arts conferred by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. His poems and essays have received recognition from prestigious literary institutions and award-giving bodies, including the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Maningning Miclat Prize for Poetry, the Premyong LIRA, the Gawad Bienvenido Lumbera, and the Gawad Rene O. Villanueva. His poems and scholarly works have been published in various journals and publications, including UP Lirip Journal, Philippine Collegian, Mekong Review, Kasing Kasing Press, and TLDTD Journal, among other zines and anthologies.
The first runner-up is:
SHOWERS OF PURITY - HOWARD OSBORNE
Howard is a UK citizen, retired. Published author of non-fiction reference book, scientific papers and poetry. Interests mainly creative writing (poetry, novel, short stories, songs and scripts), music and travel.
The second runner-up is:
PETRICHOR BREATH - LORI A. ZYBALA
Lori A. Zybala is a poet and writer based in Southern Ontario. She works in the world of academia, although thrives in the mystery of imagination. Her work has been featured in/ on; The Words Faire, Literary Revelations, Free Verse Revolution, Kelp Literary Adventure Journal, and Wingless Dreamer. When not writing, Lori can be found hiking amongst the silent trees. Follow her work on @ecopoet77, ecopoetic.wordpress.com, and lorizybala.substack.com
Here are our top finalists:
WHERE WE TOUCH THE EARTH - PAM DAVENPORT
Pam Davenport lives in the low desert and mountains of Arizona. Her chapbook, A Midwest Girl Thanks Patti Smith, was winner of the 2019 Slipstream Chapbook Competition. Pam has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was a semi-finalist for the Pablo Neruda Award. She has an MFA from Pacific University, and her poems have been published in Nimrod, Thrush, Tinderbox, Slippery Elm, Poetry of the American Southwest, Pittsburgh Poetry Review, and others. https://www.facebook.com/pam.davenport.54/
AS RAIN - STEVE GERSON
Steve Gerson, Hall of Fame Poet with Wingless Dreamer, has written 9 chapbooks including Once Planed Straight; Viral; And the Land Dreams Darkly; The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety; What Is Isn’t; There is a Season; Have Not; Who Am I Today; and Dystopia.
THE TORRENTS OF SEPARATION - THOMAS KORON
Thomas Koron was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 19, 1977. He has attended Grand Rapids Community College, Aquinas College, Western Michigan University, Northern Illinois University and the American Conservatory of Music. His previous literary projects include poetry, plays, short stories and a novel. He currently lives in the Chicago metropolitan area.
FOR TIME IN LIEU OF TIME - GAVIN BOURKE
Gavin Bourke grew up in the suburb of Tallaght in West Dublin and lives in County Meath. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Human Development and Irish from Dublin City University, a Master of Arts Degree in Modern Drama Studies and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies from University College Dublin. His work in English and to a lesser extent in the Irish Language broadly covers the natural and socially constructed worlds. Gavin has won international competitions for both book-length manuscripts and individual poems and is published widely internationally.
SUMMER STORM - BRETT SALTER
Stay cool and keep a wary eye out for portals! @Talismanbrett
THE RAIN KNOWS MY NAME - STACEY CHURCHILL
Stacey Churchill is a writer based in the UK. She volunteers with Derby Book Festival and participates in literary events and activities within her local community. Stacey writes poetry and short stories, often with feminist undertones. Stacey recently completed a BA (hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing with The Open University. You can find her book content on TikTok at @Empowerment_Ink
Here are our contributors:
WHEN TIRES RAISE RAINBOW DIESEL DUST - ARDA ÜNAL
THE SCENT - BALLALESHWAR TELLA
55 ℃ - BAINAPALLI VISHAL
ROUTED - LOUISE KAESTNER
ALL IN ONE GORGEOUS SOUND, - TOMASZ HEARFIELD
THE DAY IT RAINED COBRAS - BAILEE RUDOLPH
THE SMELL OF RAIN ON HOT ASPHALT - SAMANTHA VARGAS
PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN WALKING HER DOG IN THE RAIN - HUGH FINDLAY
THE RAIN THAT REMEMBERED - ISMAEL S. RODRIGUEZ JR.
LANGUAGE OF THE CROWS - TETIANA YATSECHKO-BLAZHENKO
THE RAINBOW BEFORE THE STORM - KAYLEIGH SCHOLES
COVER - DUSTIN MILLER
NEVER CLOSE ENOUGH - ANDY BETZ
RAIN DESCEND - IRTIZA
IF I WERE RAIN - MARILYN LEON
THE SOFT REFRAIN - ASHOK JAHAGIRDAR
STAINS - ALEXANDRA GRANT
SUMMER RAIN - LANI TROWER
ON PETRICHOR - MAGNUS BRIAR
MONSOON - CAROLYN COMBS
A RAINY SATURDAY ON ALKI - ELLE ESTÉRRE
AH RAIN - TERRY BRINKMAN
CABIN FEVER - A.J. CHILSON
PERCEPTION ON REFLECTION - JOANNE MACIAS
RELOCATION - KERSTEN CHRISTIANSON
WEATHER WISE - JENNIFER WEIGEL
IRRESISTIBLE - J. CROWE
SHARPTOOTH, SHARKTOOTH - SARA
WEATHERED STORMS - REEBIE FLOWERS
THE BALLAD OF THE RAIN - R.J. JOY
UNTITLED - LEOTIS LAMAR HARGROVE
MIST - DAVID PERSON
SHOCKWAVES AND THE PENDULUM - AVELANDA
THE REIGN OF RAIN - ALEX ANDY PHUONG
MADONNA OF THE ADULT- EXCLUSIVE - TALBOT HOOK
TRANSIENCE - GRACE LOUIE
BLACK RAIN - DR FATEMEH MARDI
MOVING DAY - DAVID MILLEY
Congratulations to all the participants who got selected with us. More power to your pen.
PS- If you're working on your first book and don't know where to start - just say please. Unlike traditional publishers, we provide one-on-one sessions where proofreading, reviewing, editing, story development, and feedback are provided at the price of one. We strongly believe that 100% of the royalty must be received by the author. Henceforth, we push forward the idea of self-publishing and assist our dear writers to setup an account on Amazon Kindle Publisher. You know where to find us. Check it out: https://winglessdreamer.com/editorial-services
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