Three Cheers for the winner of Heavenly Harmonies

Without any further ado, let's cut to the chase that you've been patiently been waiting for. Let's announce the winner of Heavenly Harmonies Writing Contest.

The crown goes to:

GOODNIGHT, MOON - MARISSA LA PORTE

Marissa LaPorte is a resident of Michigan; she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Grand Valley State University. She uses her lived experiences as a queer, neurodivergent woman for inspiration. Marissa has also been published in Wingless Dreamer, Speculative 66, Sick Lit Magazine, The Drabble, The Flash Fiction Press, and more.

Beat the drums for the first runner-up:

EMILIE- QUAZAYE KONKEL

A 20-something bi (racial, polar, sexual) writer from southeast Wisconsin finds her voice through writing poetry, fiction, and silly things in between. She attended Marquette University, where she graduated with an undergraduate degree in Writing Intensive English in 2019, and is currently attending Western Governors University, where she is taking a stab at yet another kind of writing—JavaScript. Her first poetry book, Bubble gum Heart & Other Elastic Things, is set to be released in April 2024.

Blow the trumpet for the second runner-up:

TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE LIGHT - GAVIN BOURKE

Gavin Bourke grew up in the suburb of Tallaght in West Dublin. Married to Annemarie and living in County Meath, he holds a B.A. in Humanities from Dublin City University, an M.A. Degree in Modern Drama Studies, and a Higher Diploma in Information Studies from University College Dublin. His work broadly covers nature, time, memory, addiction, mental health, human relationships, the inner and outer life, creating meaning and purpose, politics, contemporary and historical social issues, injustice, the human situation, power and its abuse, absurdism, existentialisms, human psychology, cognition, emotion and behavior, truth and deception, the sociological imagination, illness, socio-economics, disability, inclusivity, human life, selfishness and its consequences, as well as urban and rural life, personal autonomy, ethics, commerce, science, grand schemes, and the technological life in English and to a lesser extent in the Irish language.

A huge round of applause for our top finalists. Well done.

JAZ MUSIC - TERRY BRINKMAN

TERRY BRINKMAN has been painting for over forty-five years; now he paints with words too. Poems in Rue Scribe, Tiny Seed. Winamop, Snapdragon Journal, Poets Choice, Adelaide Magazine, Variant, the Writing Disorder, Ink Pantry, In Parentheses, Ariel Chat, New Ulster, Glove, and in Pamp-le-mousse, North Dakota Quarterly, Barzakh, Urban Arts, Wingless Dreamer, True Chili, LKMNDS, and Elevation.

WATCHING THE HALE-BOPP COMET WITH MY FATHER - D ANGELO

Shortlisted for the 2023 Manchester Poetry Prize, D.A. Angelo is a UK-based poet with work in Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Sage Cigarettes, Flights of the Dragonfly, and Petrichor Mag.

IBLIS - GLENN WRIGHT

Glenn Wright is a retired teacher living in Anchorage, Alaska, with his wife, Dorothy, and their dog, Bethany. He writes poetry in order to challenge what angers him, to ponder what puzzles him, and to celebrate what delights him. His work has appeared in Modern Literature, In Parentheses, and Rundelania. Additional poems are forthcoming in WestWard Quarterly, A Time of Singing, Sparks of Calliope, and Amethyst Review.

THE ANGEL - A.J. CHILSON

A.J. Chilson is an award-winning author of over 30 books; some of the books are poetry collections, but most of them are children's works. He currently lives and works in Winnsboro, Texas, where he hopes to inspire others.

A TRIP OUT TO SEA - KEVIN WATSON

K. J. Watson’s poetry and fiction has appeared in anthologies and online.

ETHEREAL FAIRY TALE MATERIAL - ALEX ANDY PHUONG

Alex Andy Phuong earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from California State University—Los Angeles in 2015. He was a former Statement Magazine editor who currently writes about literature, film, and culture. He also earned an Associate of Arts in English from Pasadena City College in 2013 and tutored there. He has written hundreds of film reviews for MovieBoozer and has contributed articles to Mindfray. His writing has appeared in The Bookends Review and The Society of Classical Poets. Emma Stone inspired Alex to actively submit writing to publications after hearing the Oscar-nominated song “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from the “Best Picture” nominee La La Land (2016). His poetry collection, An Altruistic (Cyberwit.net, 2020), Currently residing in Alhambra, California, he now writes with the sincerest hope to inspire readers while fully supporting those who dare to pursue their dreams. The link to his blog is http://alexandyphuongengl492playlist.blogspot.com/.

A CAPTIVE'S DREAM - TIERNEY CHAPMAN

Tierney Chapman is an emerging Appalachian poet and a winner of the 2023 West Virginia Writers Competition. Tierney holds degrees in both paralegal studies and English/professional writing. She currently takes classes with the Gotham Writers Workshop of NYC and is the author of a growing social media page, Poetry For Us. As a young widow and mother of two, she spends her time writing spiritual poetry in her home state of West Virginia.

FOR YOUR EMERALD EYES ONLY - BRADY SPICER

Brady Spicer was born and raised in the Pensacola, Florida, area. He is a graduate of Pensacola State College with an associate's degree in general education and the University of West Florida with a bachelor's degree in general studies. He enjoys writing poetry, watching movies, and collecting comic books. My poems have been accepted in Blackwater Literary Journal, Shemom, Wingless Dreamer, and Poets' Espresso Review.

FOUND AND LOST - BRETT SALTER

Brett Salter writes poetry (if you can call it that) and middle-grade fantasy novels about knights and dragons in the Earth realm. Check it out! @Talismanbrett. Brett Salter on Goodreads. Beauty is all around us, but keep a wary eye out for portals.

On behalf of the Wingless Dreamer Team we would like to congratulate to all the winners and to all the submitters to make this publication possible. Please visit our bookstore to get your copies of the anthology, Heavenly Harmonies.