Competition Results

Organiser’s Report

2023 was another bumper year for the Southport Writers’ Circle short story competition. We received almost 200 entries, the vast majority of which were digital, from across the globe. Stories were submitted from exotic locations such as Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and (it says here) Barnoldswick. Again, we have been let down by Antarctica, from where we had no stories entered. Perhaps, one day, a carrier penguin will make it from the frozen South to Sunny Southport.

Everyone who entered should be proud of themselves, it takes a great deal of bravery to put creative endeavours under the scrutiny of judges. Many excellent stories could not find their way past our initial sifters: on another day, they would have found some success. Do not be disheartened, do not give up, there are other competitions, indeed other years and your work may yet be recognised.

There were a couple of entrants whose failed to follow the rules, and whose entries had to be excluded from the contest. A couple more failed to put sufficient postage on their envelopes, and only the Royal Mail are enjoying those stories. At least the winners we can share with you able to read the rules correctly.

I would like to extend an especial thanks to the members of the Circle who were volunteered to read the entries and select the best to go forward to our Chief Judge. Their diligence and dedication is to be commended. I hope that their therapy sessions will minimise the PTSD somewhat.

Our Chief Judge for 2023 was John Maguire, an actor, writer, director and tour guide – quite the man of many faces, really. His play “Kitty: Queen of the Washhouse” has been performed all over the country, and celebrates Catherine Wilkinson who improved public health in the Liverpool of the 1830’s. There is a statue in her honour in St. George’s Hall, where the play has been staged. He is also a great teller of tales, his “Liver Bird Safari” providing an excellent history of Liverpool’s famous avians and highlighting places – some unexpected – where they can be found.

Message from Pamela Gough, writer of the winning story

“Good evening, everyone. I would like to thank Southport Writers’ Circle for organising this competition and the awards evening – I know that a lot of work goes into making these things a success.  Many thanks to the readers, and especially the chief judge John Maguire, for selecting my story from all the entries. It is heartwarming to think that my writing has resonated with others.  Once again – thank you””Good evening, everyone. I would like to thank Southport Writers’ Circle for organising this competition and the awards evening – I know that a lot of work goes into making these things a success.  Many thanks to the readers, and especially the chief judge John Maguire, for selecting my story from all the entries. It is heartwarming to think that my writing has resonated with others.  Once again – thank you”

1st

A Good Kid?

Pamela Gough

2nd

The Right Prescription

Sue Hoffman

3rd

Heterochromia

Sue Hoffman

Commended

The Swimmer and the Queen by Natasha Derczynski

The Farmer’s Wife and Her Dimpled Thighs by Genevieve Flintham

Judge’s Report – Cynthia Kitchen

Thank you for inviting me to judge your present poetry competition and I was very happy
to do so. It reminded me that I had been an adjudicator for Southport Poetry Competition in
2006 which seems a mighty long time ago.
It is always an honour and quite humbling that people are willing to expose so much of their
inner selves to a stranger, but for me, honoured and excited to see what lies within
a shortlist.
After an initial read I slowed to absorb words and phrases that took poems beyond the
surface and how effective this was in each case.I was looking for originality in ideas,
language, structure, use of metaphor, imagination, a poem that opens the mind or changes
how we see things, a poem prepared to take risks. Peggy Poole, the well known North West
poet said –
“I know a poem when I see it,”
and I feel at the least, a competition piece should be enough of a real poem to affect the
mind, spirit and heart of the reader.
There were many poems dealing with loss and sadness but there was uplift also. Some
poems had a structure that didn’t quite work or needed a definite form, an awkward line or
uneven rhythm and a poem should always be well presented on the page. Finally they were
read out loud which acts as a litmus test, the importance of how the words sound in
harmony.
There were poems that nearly made the final sifting and it came down to their various
strengths and how they moved me, so many did.
Thank you to all who entered.

No 1  EACH MORNING NOTE

Gareth Culshaw

was drawn into this poem from first reading by the deceptive but beautiful language.
Each reading intrigued me more with its many layers. The blackbird/ morning imagery
made it mysterious and breathtaking:
“ a morning that pours out of a blackbird.”
“ I keep walking into the blackbird’s song.”
A journey of the spiritual, the actual and with strong emotional layering it felt like
love and death combined. I particularly liked how the last three lines didn’t try to explain
but if anything, added to the intrigue. A wonderful achievement.

No2  Water Muscles

Denise Bennet

This is a heartwarming poem with a modern yet timeless theme and an effective blend of
metaphor and literal interleaved. The water muscle/ resilience idea works well and is
very moving.The satisfying last stanza feels exactly right. I loved the warmth and caring
here.

No3.  Night Bus

Doreen Hinchliffe

The poem invites us on a journey, cocoons us in the fug of the bus and draws the gaze out
from present to past and back again. There is evocative language :
“ the disused cinema is longing for the usherette’s torch,”
“a haze of breath hovers”
creating a sense of the real and surreal throughout. A use of sibilants adds to this.

HC. Industry and Genius

Patricia Leighton

A worthy poem with outstandingly strong lineation beautifully presented.

C     WANING

HAZEL TEARE

A strongly written poem with a clear message about climate change and a clever use
of language/ metaphor.

C.   The Girl Who Shares My Name

Doreen Hinchliffe

This poem drew me back to it many times and had an unsettling narrative and intriguing
build throughout to its climax.It uses good descriptive language, a strong sense of mystery.
and felt chilling in parts.

H.    ANOTHER ANCIENT MARINER

Alec Taylor

The Humour Prize is a Villenelle which concerned the great moment of meeting our
heroes or hero and spending time in their company, in this case our local poet Roger
McGough. What was impressive was the rhyming coupled with sustaining the humour
and managing to find full rhymes for “celebration “ throughout. Well done!