NMW Fear Awards | 2024
Winners and Finalists of the NMW Fear Awards!
NMW Fear Awards | 2024 Read More »
My Last Story | Susan Hettinger
NMW Fear Award
Susan Hettinger of Olympia, Washington for “My Last Story”
My Last Story | Susan Hettinger Read More »
What Lies in Sapient Lake | Melissa Bowers
NMW Fear Award
Melissa Bowers of Gilroy, California for “What Lies in Sapient Lake”
What Lies in Sapient Lake | Melissa Bowers Read More »
Lazarus at Seven AM | Partridge Boswell
NMW Fear Award
Partridge Boswell of Woodstock, Vermont for “Lazarus at Seven AM”
Lazarus at Seven AM | Partridge Boswell Read More »
70-Plus Reasons… | Don Williams
Editor Emeritus Don Williams on “70-Plus Reasons To Reject Trump And Rescue Our Endangered New Millennium”
In keeping with tradition, New Millennium Writings is taking a stand. Please help us rescue our still-young Millennium, which appeared to be dawning with such promise at our founding in 1996.
Any one of these 70-plus reasons should be enough to persuade anyone who wishes the best for our descendants and our world. I could list many more…
70-Plus Reasons… | Don Williams Read More »
One on One | Jed Myers
57th NMW Award for Poetry.
Jed Myers of Seattle, Washington for “One on One”
Oh, the adventures we would have, and the wondrous things I would show you…if only I were young again and you were still here with me.
Reader, do longings like these rattle around in your heart? Then this poem is for you.
One on One | Jed Myers Read More »
Why I Never Get Anywhere, or, A List of Mostly Failed Poetry Ideas Scribbled at the back of Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude | Kim Farrar
57th NMW Award for Nonfiction
Kim Farrar of Astoria, New York
An honest and joy-soaked accounting, Farrar’s essay is an ode to those magical, maddening moments that make up a life, and the brilliant, unfinished poems tucked away in nearly every writer’s mind.
It Goes Both Ways | Kate Simonian
57th NMW Award for Fiction.
Kate Simonian of San Bernardino for “It Goes Both Ways”
Smack dab into a marriage gone sideways, a naked stranger appears one night…and his nudity may be the least strange thing about him. Is he a time traveler? A folie à deux? Or the last hope for a couple to find their way back to each other?
It Goes Both Ways | Kate Simonian Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 57 | 2024
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 57th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 57 | 2024 Read More »
Blank Many Days | Doug Crandell
57th NMW Award for Flash Fiction.
Doug Crandell of Douglasville, Georgia for “Blank Many Days”
Brief and brilliant, Crandell’s story centers on a gentle giant and the boy who idolizes him. Set against the whorl and grind of a factory floor, “Blank Many Days” explores courage, responsibility, and the complex glory of masculinity.
Blank Many Days | Doug Crandell Read More »
Teaching Mom Long Division | Adriana Páramo
56th NMW Award for Nonfiction.
Adriana Páramo of Medellin, Columbia for “Teaching Mom Long Division”
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Páramo’s essay is a poignant reflection on the shifting tides of the mother-daughter relationship, and the lessons to be learned when we embrace new roles.
Teaching Mom Long Division | Adriana Páramo Read More »
Lines in Algonquin | David Sloan
55th NMW Award for Poetry.
David Sloan of Brunswick, Maine for “Lines in Algonquin”
Sloan’s “Lines in Algonquin” is a transportive meditation on primal paradoxes.
Why does experiencing Nature alone reveal one’s connection to every living thing? How can a moonless sky make us feel inconsequential yet intricately linked to every falling star? For those who could happily spend a lifetime pondering such questions, this poem is for you.
Lines in Algonquin | David Sloan Read More »
Saved | Rebecca Godwin
56th NMW Award for Fiction. Rebecca Godwin for “Saved”
TThere’s something mesmerizing about a heroine on the verge of discovering her own power… however unexpected the reveal.
Godwin’s story, “Saved,” delivers that pleasure in spades, and lots more besides, reminding us that salvation is surely in the eye of the beholder.
Saved | Rebecca Godwin Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 56 | 2023
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 56th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 56 | 2023 Read More »
The Curse of Calloused Feet | Gretta Trafficante
56th NMW Award for Flash Fiction. Gretta Trafficante for “The Curse of Calloused Feet”
A beautifully strange meditation on curses, on the fates thrust upon us, and the identities we shape for ourselves.
The Curse of Calloused Feet | Gretta Trafficante Read More »
Kissed by Allen Ginsberg | Michael Hogan
55th NMW Award for Nonfiction.
Michael Hogan of Guadalajara, Mexico for “Kissed by Allen Ginsberg”
Michael Hogan’s “Kissed by Allen Ginsberg” captures the blessed, blissed-out joy of remembering that people contain multitudes, and that once in a while life is so much stranger and more awe-inspiring than we give it credit for.
Kissed by Allen Ginsberg | Michael Hogan Read More »
Baptism by Earth | Mekiya Outini
55th NMW Award for Poetry.
Mekiya Outini of Kansas City, Missouri for “Baptism by Earth”
At heart a love story, Outini’s brilliant work explores identity, rebirth, environmental collapse and metamorphosis, and indeed the very notion of what it means to be “a human thing.”
Baptism by Earth | Mekiya Outini Read More »
Father to Son | B. Fulton Jennes
55th NMW Award for Poetry.
B. Fulton Jennes of Ridgefield, Connecticut for “Father to Son”
Tender, stirring wisdom any child would be lucky to carry with them on this journey through existence.
Father to Son | B. Fulton Jennes Read More »
Molten | Jacob Orlando
55th NMW Award for Flash Fiction. Jacob Orlando for “Molten”
The unique setting of each vignette in Orlando’s “Molten” underscores a collective truth of our times. There is a fire burning through this land, flames licking at every place people turn to for comfort, solace, joy. Some will be consumed, but all will be forged by the terrible heat.
Molten | Jacob Orlando Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 55 | 2023
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 55th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 55 | 2023 Read More »
Begats | Damen O’Brien
54th NMW Award for Begats. Damen O’Brien of Brisbane, Australia for “Begats”
From tadpoles to the endless lineage of Eve, O’Brien’s poem teems with primal imagery, a splendorous reminder that within each of us lies infinity, a poem within a poem.
Begats | Damen O’Brien Read More »
Without a Hitch | Patrick Wilkins
54th NMW Award for Nonfiction. Patrick Wilkens of Halifax, Vermont for “Without a Hitch”
On the perils and pleasures of asking for help and trusting humanity to deliver you safely, when everything might ride on catching that next ride.
Without a Hitch | Patrick Wilkins Read More »
Ghost Story | Carrie Grinstead
54th NMW Award for Fiction. Carrie Grinstead of Los Angeles, California for “Ghost Story”
Which is scarier…the ghost in your backyard or the ones in your heart? Grinstead’s haunting tale has both, and plenty else to terrify. “Ghost Story” will hold you in its grip long after you’ve finished reading.
Ghost Story | Carrie Grinstead Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 54 | 2022
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 54th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 54 | 2022 Read More »
Persephone | Amina Gautier
54th NMW Award for Flash Fiction. Amina Gautier of Chicago, Illinois for “Persephone”
Gautier’s story digs in sharp and deep, rooting through mythological narrative to explore the dual natures of light and dark, and the transformational powers awaiting those brave enough to unearth them.
Persephone | Amina Gautier Read More »
Dancing on the Blade | Janine Kovac
53rd NMW Award for Nonfiction.
Janine Kovac of Oakland, CA for “Dancing on the Blade”
An essay on the worth of all humans, and of the healing power of taking up space and reminding those who need to hear it most: You are Beloved.
Dancing on the Blade | Janine Kovac Read More »
To the protesters on Vandalia | A. E. Wynter
53rd NMW Award for Poetry.
A. E. Wynter of St. Paul, Minnesota for “To the protesters on Vandalia”
A poem to remind us that the fight is far from over.
To the protesters on Vandalia | A. E. Wynter Read More »
Baptism | Ellen Pauley Goff
53rd NMW Award for Fiction.
It’s easy to forget there are places small and remote enough to have escaped the inexorable pull of “progress”… places that still bow to laws and customs all their own. Easy, too, to underestimate just how strong the clutches of those places can be.
Part ode to, part interrogation of the Southern Gothic genre, Goff’s story is here to remind us that though we may be done with the past, the past is seldom done with us.
Baptism | Ellen Pauley Goff Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 53 | 2022
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 53rd New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 53 | 2022 Read More »
Crackup | Sean W. Murphy
53rd NMW Award for Flash Fiction.
This affectionate and delightful tale reminds us that to offer true love and support, we must sometimes be willing to throw off the shackles of logic.
Crackup | Sean W. Murphy Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 52 | 2021
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 52nd New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 52 | 2021 Read More »
Bird Rearing During a Pandemic | Melanie Hoffert
52nd NMW Award for Nonfiction.
Melanie Hoffert of Battle Lake, Minnesota for “Bird Rearing During a Pandemic,”
In times of turmoil, when threats loom both externally and all-too-internally, what good can it possibly do to rescue one tiny beating heart? As Hoffert’s essay so marvelously reminds us, sometimes our own heart gets rescued too.
Bird Rearing During a Pandemic | Melanie Hoffert Read More »
Almost There | John Cullen
51st NMW Award for Poetry.
John Cullen of Big Rapids, Michigan for “Almost There”
Equal parts hopefulness and peaceful resignation, “Almost There” left this Editor with a lump in her throat and a song in her heart.
Almost There | John Cullen Read More »
War Paint | Teresa Burns Gunther
52nd NMW Award for Fiction.
Teresa Burns Gunther of Gualala for “War Paint”
Gunther’s story, an intimate portrayal of the family ties that bind and the unspoken fears and hurts that threaten to unravel them all, is a multi-layered masterpiece!
War Paint | Teresa Burns Gunther Read More »
An Alternate Theory Regarding Natural Disasters | Myna Chang
52nd NMW Award for Flash Fiction.
Myna Chang of Potomac, Maryland for ”An Alternate Theory Regarding Natural Disasters…,”
It’s not often that our top entry is also the most hopeful one. Chang’s imagining of a small town finding silver linings among the rubble is that story.
An Alternate Theory Regarding Natural Disasters | Myna Chang Read More »
Memory Animal | Chris Siteman
51st NMW Award for Nonfiction.
Chris Siteman of Brookline, Massachusetts for “Memory Animal,”
Just in time for Halloween, Siteman’s essay is a taut and creeping tale, with ghosts lurking in every corner.
Memory Animal | Chris Siteman Read More »
Little Ancestors | Laura Herbst
51st NMW Award for Fiction.
Laura Herbst of Portland, Oregon for “Little Ancestors,”
A grieving girl discovers a power far greater than the missionary zeal that delivered her to a distant land. Herbst’s magnificent story explores faith, culture, and a journey to adulthood far from home.
Little Ancestors | Laura Herbst Read More »
Rebirth | Alexandra Blogier
51st NMW Award for Flash Fiction.
Alexandra Blogier of Boston, Massachusetts for ”Rebirth,”
After the act of creation, just how far will a mother go to hang on to what’s left of herself? Blogier’s incredible short story offers a dark glimpse of the wonder and terror of motherhood.
Rebirth | Alexandra Blogier Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 51 | 2021
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 50th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 51 | 2021 Read More »
The Chinese General | Peter Newall
50th NMW Award for Fiction.
Peter Newall of Odessa, Ukraine for “The Chinese General”
A marvelous tale of private passions and artistic impulses that will not be denied. Dive into “The Chinese General” and enjoy its hidden depths.
The Chinese General | Peter Newall Read More »
New Millennium Writing Awards 50 | 2020
First Place Winners, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions of the 50th New Millennium Writing Awards!
New Millennium Writing Awards 50 | 2020 Read More »
Excelsior | Robyn Carter
50th NMW Award for Flash Fiction.
Robyn Carter of San Francisco, California for ”Excelsior,”
a hypnotic and crystalline study in traveling on to the next destination, even as the body tries to serve what’s already gone.
Excelsior | Robyn Carter Read More »
grandfather: a dialect of water | Ian Khara Ellasante
An ode to those who shape us and teach us how to flow through this life.
grandfather: a dialect of water | Ian Khara Ellasante Read More »
Major Tom | C.C. Lewis
What would you trade for the answer to your heart’s most fervent question?
Man becomes-myth-becomes-specter in Lewis’s distant and mesmerizing tale.
Major Tom | C.C. Lewis Read More »
Pale Shepherd | JR Boudreau
First Place | Nonfiction Writing Contest XLIX 49TH NEW MILLENNIUM AWARD FOR NONFICTION JR Boudreau of Ontario, Canada for “Pale Shepherd” Boudreau will receive $1,000, a plaque to mark the success, and publication online and in print. Pale Shepherd JR Boudreau Note from the Editors: “Pale Shepherd” is a work of creative nonfiction, in which
Pale Shepherd | JR Boudreau Read More »
On the Origin of Species | Lee Thomas
49th New Millennium Award for Flash Fiction
Lee Thomas of Los Angeles, California for ”On the Origin of Species”
Though written well before the global pandemic, Thomas’s story gets right to the heavy, racing heart of these uncertain times. We’re honored to share this beautiful, poignant story.
On the Origin of Species | Lee Thomas Read More »