the semi-finalists and finalists

Iron Horse is proud to announce the semi-finalists and finalists for our 2017 chapbook competition. We received a bountiful number of submissions, and the decision was so very difficult, especially moving from the semi-finalists to the ten finalists. Over the next week, we will be responding to every chapbook we received.

Semi-Finalists:

Nancy Devine, I Am Here (nonfiction)

Joseph Johnston, Winterlong (fiction)

Aimee Mepham, Quo Vadis and Other Stories (fiction)

Randy Shelley, Trash Fish (fiction)

Lowell White, Dropsy and Heart Trouble (fiction)

Finalists:

Nat Akin, Fartherland (fiction)

Faith Holsaert, Matrilineal (nonfiction)

Christopher Lowe, A Guest of the Program: Stories (fiction)

Ginny MacDonald, To Be Hollow and Light and Silent (nonfiction)

Michael Martone, The Winesburg Appendix (nonfiction)

Khristian Mecom, A Catalogue of Our Native Monsters (nonfiction)

Albert Sgambati, The Chosen & Other Stories (fiction)

Marc Sheehan, Dissenting Opinion from the Committee for the Beatitudes (fiction)

Penn Stewart, The Weight on My Back and Other Stories (fiction)

Derek Updegraff, The Bull from Kelp Forest (fiction)

Dennis Covington will select the winner by mid- to late September. We wish all of our finalists the best of luck, and we thank everyone for sending us so many terrific manuscripts. It’s tough but good when the selection process feels like a loss for us--so many wonderful stories and essays that we have to let go.