The Bucks County Short Fiction Contest has announced the 2024 winners. 

• Marc Elias Keller of Yardley won first place for his story, The Heart that Matters Most.

• Linda Lindahl, also of Yardley, captured second place for Red Pepper Flakes.

• David Jarret, of Doylestown, took third place for A Night in the Box Elder.

C.J. Spataro, who directs the MFA program at Rosemont College, and whose novel More Strange Than True was released by Sagging Meniscus Press last June, was the final judge.

A celebration was held on Saturday, November 9 in Tyler Hall on Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus. During the event, the winners read from their stories. Spataro also discussed her writing life.

Of Keller’s first-place story, Spataro noted, “Other than the very skillful writing in this story, the thing that impressed me the most was the lack of sentimentality. Given the profession of the main character, it would be very easy to give into extraneous emotion, but that doesn’t happen here… we have a main character that is not always the most likeable or sympathetic and yet, through some very skillful character development, the reader comes to understand the reasons behind her detached nature and the choices that she’s made.”

Red Pepper Flakes was cited because “I found myself rooting for Dottie from the first paragraph. She is that middle-aged mom that is invisible to and underestimated by nearly everyone around her. When she decides to fulfill a lifetime dream and hike the Grand Canyon, everyone but her elderly mother tells her not to even attempt it. Thankfully for us, Dottie ignores their advice and strikes out on her own.”

Of Jarret’s story, Spataro commented: “Two grieving characters come together in the most unlikely of circumstances in this thoughtful and poignant story. I could easily see this as the start of a novel that follows the trajectory of Fink and Charles as they get to know each other and discover the pitfalls and pleasures of second love.”

The contest is open to adults who are residents of Bucks County. The winners received honoraria of $200, $100, and $50, respectively. The contest is funded by Bucks County Community College, and receives support from the Department of Language and Literature. Professor Elizabeth Luciano is the contest administrator. A contest for high-school students will be held next spring.

For more information, contact Elizabeth.Luciano@bucks.edu or visit the Bucks County Short Fiction Contest page.