Eight Stories, One Creative Canadian Community
The first paid fiction contest from Blank Spaces Magazine culminates in the publication of a powerful short story collection
Eight Canadian authors are being represented in an anthology of short stories titled The Things We Leave Behind, releasing April 30, 2022 from Chicken House Press.
The writers—Ace Baker, Barbara Lehtiniemi, Julie Meier, Dawn Miller, Jennifer Moffatt, Cheryl Skory Suma, Lori Twining, and Ronald Zajac—were all participants in a 2021 fiction contest hosted by Blank Spaces, a literary arts magazine from West Grey, Ontario.
The contest launched in June of 2021 and a longlist was determined by the community through online voting on the Blank Spaces website. The twenty stories that progressed beyond the first stage of the contest were pored over by a judging panel of Blank Spaces team members. Through thoughtful discussion and debate, the team decided on a final list of eight that were sent on to a guest judge—Rachel Laverdiere of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (CNF editor for Atticus Review)—who took on the responsibility of awarding a cash prize of nearly $340 to the top story.
During a live Zoom event in December, Laverdiere awarded the prize to Ace Baker of Coquitlam, British Columbia for his compelling story, “Menos Coca, Más Cacao.” Baker’s story, along with the other seven selected by the judges, appear within the collection, presenting wildly unique takes on the broad theme of ‘The Things We Leave Behind,’ resulting in a thought-provoking read.
“Everyone will find something to enjoy in this anthology of short but emotion-packed stories,” says early reviewer Aly B. “I liked how the theme of things left behind was interpreted so diversely… Though the stories are short, they pack a punch. I laughed out loud, I was genuinely surprised, and more than once, I was left with a lump in my throat.”
“Choosing which pieces to include was not a easy task,” Laverdiere cites in the foreword of the book, “but we are pleased that they represent various styles, points of view, and diverse sub-genres of fiction… The protagonists are well-storied in loss, yet not all choose to grieve what they’ve left behind.”
The Things We Leave Behind is available in paperback from the publisher at chickenhousepress.ca or Amazon. Ebooks can be obtained through Apple Books (coming soon!), Amazon, and Kobo.
Store owners and distributors are invited to register with Chicken House Press as a retailer of titles to enjoy a wholesale discount on copies of the book.
For a downloadable copy of this release, including images, please contact the publisher at info@chickenhousepress.ca.
