Nominations for the 51st Annual Pushcart Prize

The Pushcart Prize was established in 1976 to recognize the “best of the small presses.” Publishers are invited to submit up to six nominations from the work published that year, and for the Santa Barbara Literary Journal, that meant all six were selected from Volume 12. And how fortunate that was, given the breadth of outstanding stories and poems included in this issue. (The art is outstanding, too, there just isn’t a category for it in the Pushcart Prize.)

It wasn’t easy to pick only six from this collection. It's with great pleasure that I announce the following nominations, listed in the order in which they appear in Volume 12:

Poetry

Expectant by Nadia Szold

A heart-wrenchingly beautiful poem about family, hope, and loss.

Fruit Stall by Humzah Farrukh

The poet explores lingering memories of a past relationship.

Potential Energy by Joseph Geskey

Rich with imagery, this poem ends with an unforgettable punch.

Fiction

Ten Minutes by Barrett Valentine

A teen girl experiences an identity crisis and ponders her future as she waits for the results of a pregnancy test.  This story is riveting and authentic.

Three Examples of Reaction by Dan Berick

Narrated as a reminiscence, this tale of two teens who find each other after falling through different cracks at school is both poignant and funny.

Cherry Jubilee by Justin Taroli

Set in the United States in the 1950s, this powerful period piece takes us through one woman’s quiet, internal revolution toward self-acceptance.

You can enjoy these works, plus many more, in Volume 12. Pick up your copy today, on Amazon, or locally at the Book Den, Chaucer’s, Tecolote, or at our reading this Saturday, December 6th from 3-4 at the Handlebar Coffee Roasters.