After an incredible response from writers that resulted in a large collection of talented work, judge Gráinne Murphy took on the hard task of narrowing down to a list of ten entries. As might be expected, submissions included more fiction than nonfiction, and per probability, Gráinne’s selection reflects that. Three essays and seven short stories were shortlisted.
Shortlisted authors came from the United States, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Below are the ten entries shortlisted for the 2023 Best in Rural Writing Contest. These submissions have been collated into the Best in Rural Writing 2023 ebook to provide an enjoyable reading experience. The ebook is on sale here for $5 (see note below on why it is not on Amazon), and the PDF is available for $2. All proceeds go to support next year’s competition.
Judge’s Comments
“In choosing these ten pieces, I relied on the question Niall Williams – who himself writes rural life so lively and well – used to ask our writing class: Can you see?
In each case here, the answer is yes, I can see; yes, I am right here with you, in this world, with these people.
The stories reflect a mix of rural settings, sensibilities, times and circumstances. All, however, share the same quality of exerting a pull on the reader. These are characters we care about: a relief postal worker in a dusty town, a new mother isolated in the countryside, a widower realising how well or little we can know our partners, a man figuring out what it is to be a father, a young girl with only herself to rely on, a young boy finding his better self, a woman discovering that her life really is her own. Many of the stories have a restrained sentimentality, a streak of pragmatism, an acknowledgement of difficulty alongside the human capacity to adapt and to go on.
The three nonfiction pieces are quite distinct from one another: a father thinking through parenting choices and legacy, someone leaving their farm for the last time, and a son-in-law recognising what it takes – and what it means – to share space. Yet all have an honesty that is unstudied and deeply engaging, leaving the reader quite certain that we have simply eavesdropped on their inner worlds.
All ten pieces show, in their own ways, how rural time can operate somewhat differently, whether at the level of the hour or the day or the season, and how that sense of living embedded within time can affect how memory works.
Finally, of course, like all stories, they must also be satisfying, and I believe they are.
Congratulations to the writers for opening the door and letting us peek inside.”
Gráinne
2023 Best in Rural Writing Shortlist
Nonfiction
“Leaving” by Laura Lewis
“Co-Parenting with Cormac McCarthy” by Curtis Moore
“A Forceful Mumble” by Stephen Bishop
Fiction
“A Way with Birds” by Neil Tully
“Gretta and Gray” by Kaleigh Dixson
“Trophies” by Jamie Guiney
“Water under the Bridge” by Deb Stark
“Coffin in the Sky” by Cassie Smith-Christmas
“Rural Route One” by Barbara Schmidt
“Newborn” by John Gerard Fagan
Note: Because we support independent publishing we are not selling the Best in Rural Writing 2023 ebook on Amazon. However, after you purchase the ebook you are given the option to send it to your Kindle by using your device’s email. If you have trouble finding your device’s email, you can also use this link.
If you do not have a Kindle you can use a variety of free ebook readers, such as those on this list.