This year we had over 300 applicants to the SmokeLong Quarterly Flash Fellowship for Emerging Writers. The competition was blistering. Thank you to everyone who sent us your words, and thank you to our team of editors who read those 900 stories. Our process was blind, so we of course had no idea who you were until after we responded to your application. After months of deliberation we ended up with 12 stunning, talented finalists. Making it to the top 12 in this application process was a feat. Bravi to all of these writers (listed below). You all certainly have bright futures.
Ultimately we have chosen Maria Alejandra Barrios as the 2020 SmokeLong fellow.
María Alejandra Barrios is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has lived in Bogotá and Manchester where in 2016 she completed a Masters degree in Creative Writing from The University of Manchester. She was selected for the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program: Performing & Literary Arts for the city of New York in 2018. Her stories have been published in Hobart Pulp, Reservoir Journal, Bandit Fiction, Cosmonauts Avenue, Jellyfish Review, Lost Balloon, Vol.1 Brooklyn and Shenandoah literary. Her poetry has been published in The Acentos Review. Her work has been supported by organizations like Vermont Studio Center, Caldera Arts Center and The New Orleans Writing Residency.
And please celebrate these 11 writers whose work wowed our team of editors. Watch for them. They are all stars.
Fellowship Finalists
Amanda Bermudez
Clementine Burnley
Emily Dezurick-Badran
Suzanne Grove
Sara Hills
Stephen Hundley
Tucker Leighty-Phillips
Naomi Telushkin
Cameron Quincy Todd
J. Preston Witt
Hananah Zaheer
A SmokeLong Summer 24!