Return to Cezanne's Carrot Home Page
Oracle by Christopher Clements
"Oracle" © 2005 Christopher Clements

News & Announcements

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2009 Vernal Equinox Issue

We look forward to the day when we are sufficiently funded to pay all contributors to Cezanne's Carrot's, because all of our authors and artists well deserve it.

However, for the Vernal Equinox 2009 issue, we are still restricted to selecting two stories to be awarded Editors' Prizes. These two stories stood out for us, not just for the high quality of the writing, but also because of how they made us feel when we read them—one because of the "goosebumps" we feel, the other because of how it made us laugh. And so, our congratulations go to these two Editors' Prize Winners:

All of the fiction and creative nonfiction stories in this issue are extraordinary, and we encourage you to read each one to discover all of the unique insights and delights that this issue of Cezanne's Carrot offers!

Cezanne's Carrot editors continue to seek ways to generate enough income to pay all contributors in each issue. If you'd like to help, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Spiritual, Transformational, & Visionary Arts, Inc., the nonprofit publisher of this quarterly literary journal.

Winter Solstice 2008 Contest Winners Announced

Three category prizes and one honorable mention were awarded to the winners of the Second Annual Winter Solstice Writing Competition sponsored by Cezanne's Carrot.

The contest, which closed Nov. 21, was open to fiction and creative nonfiction entries related to the theme "Journeys." Winning entries were published in the Winter Solstice 2008 issue of Cezanne's Carrot.

Guest judge Tamara Kaye Sellman chose the winners from manuscripts supplied without identifying information. The first-place winner in each category received a $100 cash prize, in addition to publication in the Winter Solstice 2008 issue of Cezanne's Carrot. Our congratulations go out to each of these first-place winners:

In addition, Ms. Sellman named an honorable mention story in the nonfiction category. Congratulations to Devon Ward-Thommes for “On Beauty”

You can learn more about why Ms. Sellman chose the winners in the Editors' Note for the Winter Solstice issue.

divider

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2008 Autumnal Equinox Issue

We are so looking forward to the day we have sufficient funding to pay each of the talented writers who contribute to Cezanne's Carrot—mostly because we believe they all deserve to be paid, and partly to remove the agony we suffer every quarter as we try to choose only two to received our alloted funds via the Editors' Prizes.

This issue's selection of fiction and creative nonfiction is a treasure trove of "prizes" for the reader, and we faced the usual quandry of choosing only two for the prizes. We dare you to see for yourself by reading these:

In Fiction: The Rabbit King, Maryanne Stahl's magical tale of nighttime, when boundaries disappear; or The Firestone, a goosebump-producing tale by Angela Rega about a girl who seeks the courage to break out of a cruel belief system; or Washing Girl, Susan Niz's story about a boy fights both a legend and a river; Simple Rules for Coming Back from the Dead, in which Richard Lee asks what happens when a couple decides how they'll make contact after one dies; The Last Rhino in Mutare, moving story about hope in the desperate world of today's Zimbabwe, by Motswana writer Lauri Kubuitsile; Without Wings, a breathtakingly fresh look at what constitutes angelic intervention; The Forgotten Ear of Corn, Marc E. Fitch's powerful story of a man glimpsing life's mystery in the face of hardship and death; Julio's Ark, Errid Farland's imaginative story about an ordinary human trying to carry out his notion of a sacred mission; and Armstrong by Derek Dexheimer, an imaginative look at what the first moon landing might have signified.

In Nonfiction: The Purpoii Driven Life, Jeff Tannen'hilarious story about inventing words—as well as one's own way through life; Singing to a Chipmunk, Kate Smith's story of an almost magical interaction with a chipmunk; If Trees Could Talk, a brooding work by B.B. Smith about the stories and spirits that haunt those ancient, twisted trees in our landscapes; Rock Paste, in which author and bookseller Corely Mesler explores how his chosen life path is more than just pulverized rocks; Geoduck, in which Ross McMeekin explores whether these ugly creatures might have a secret world, a higher purpose we know nothing about; and The Violin Lesson, Michael S. McKlusky's story of the powerful hold of an old family violin for more than three decades of his life.

Ultimately, however, we chose two stories that exemplify well the mission of Cezanne's Carrot, which is to publish beautifully written literary works that take us into the little-known crevices between the physical and metaphysical, the body and spirit. Our congratulations and a $25 honorarium each go to these two authors:

  • Nadia Bulkin, for her short story On the Island, a stunning, imaginative look at reincarnation, using the metaphor of animals on an isolated island.
  • Margaret Dulaney, for her nonfiction story The Wisdom of Communication, a beautiful look at how the mysteries of Life are revealed, from the sacred—spiritual practices of every spiritual tradition—to the mundane—an abandoned kitten.

divider

Tamara Sellman Named Judge for
Second Annual Winter Solstice Contest

We are pleased to announce our Second Annual Winter Solstice Contest is now open and that our guest judge is one of the leading figures in the world of magical realism, Tamara Kaye Sellman.

Winners in each of three categories—Short Story, Flash Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction—will received $100 USD and publication in the Winter Solstice 2008 issue of Cezanne's Carrot. All submissions will be considered for possible publication.

Contest submissions for the Winter Solstice 2008: Journeys Contest will be accepted through November 1, 2008. Stories can be entered in three categories:

  • Creative Nonfiction (100 to 3,000 words) — entry fee $10 per story
  • Short Story (1,001 to 3,000 words) — entry fee $10 per story
  • Flash Fiction (1000 words or less) — entry fee $5 per story

Winners will be chosen shortly before publication by guest judge Tamara Kaye Sellman. Tamara is the editor of both Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism and Periphery Online. Among her many projects, Tamara directs MRCentral.net, a global interactive community which focuses on literary magical realism.

You can enter as many pieces as you'd like, but each will require a separate entry fee. Previously published and simultaneous submissions are fine, but entry fees cannot be returned if a story is accepted elsewhere. For details submission guidelines go to our contest page.

Contest submissions and payment of the entry fees must be done via the form on our contest page.

During the contest period, regular submissions will continue to be accepted (though our normal Editors' Prizes will be suspended for the winter issue). See our guidelines page for complete details.

Editors' Prize Winners for the 2008 Summer Solstice Issue

Choosing only two works of writing in each issue of Cezanne's Carrot's for the Editors' Prizes is always a challenge; the choice for the Summer Solstice 2008 Issue was particularly difficult because of both the quality of the writing and how closely the topics of all the stories relate to the journal's mission and theme. In the end, we chose one fiction and one nonfiction story to receive the prizes for this issue. Our congratulations go to:

Cezanne's Carrot editors continue to seek ways to generate enough income to pay all contributors in each issue. If you'd like to help, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Spiritual, Transformational, & Visionary Arts, Inc., the nonprofit publisher of this quarterly literary journal.

divider

Editors' Prize Winners for the 2008 Vernal Equinox Issue

Cezanne's Carrot's editors have chosen two outstanding short stories in the Vernal Equinox 2008 Issue to receive our Editors' Prizes. These awards are given to the two stories (fiction or nonfiction) in each issue that we believe represent the best combination of excellent writing and the type of visionary, metaphysical story that relects the mission of this journal. For this issue, our congratulations go to:

divider

Writers in Profile Website Features Interview with Carrot Editor

An interview with Cezenne's Carrot co-editor Barbara Jacksha was featured on Kelly Spitzer's Writers in Profile web site in February 2008. In the interview, Barbara talks about the background and vision of Cezanne's Carrot, as well as her own writing projects.

divider

Winter Solstice 2007 Contest Winners Announced

Three category prizes and two honorable mentions have been awarded to the winners of the first writing competition sponsored by Cezanne's Carrot. The contest, which closed Nov. 21, 2007, was open to ficition and creative nonfiction entries related to the theme of "Return of the Light."

The first-place winner in each category received a $100 cash prize and publication in the Winter Solstice 2007 issue of Cezanne's Carrot. Our congratulations go out to each of these first-place winners:

In addition, we congratulate these two authors whose entries merited honorable mention and publication in the Winter Solstice issue:

divider

Editors' Prize Winners for the 2007 Autumnal Equinox Issue

Once again, choosing the editors' prize-winning stories for this issue was challenging—all of the fiction and nonfiction works are quite stunning. But the two we finally settled on, while vastly different from each other in content, are equally impressive in how they provoke our imagination, make us wonder about what is "Real," and do it with such beautiful prose. Our congratulations go to:

divider

Cezanne's Carrot Reviewed at Lucid Fiction Site

"In a world of jaded literature where including the spiritual epiphanies is often disallowed, Cezanne's Carrot warms us with the notion that it is indeed welcomed to combine both bold writing and to explore beyond the mundane world," writes Trantra Besenko in a review on her website, Lucid Fiction.

The review focuses on the work contained in the Summer Solstice 2007 issue and is one of several reviews of magazines that publish the genre Bensenko calls "lucid fiction."

divider

Editors' Prize Winners for the 2007 Summer Solstice Issue

You won't want to miss the stories that captured this issue's editors' prizes. We loved the way both of these visionary stories (and their authors) captured us and quickly drew us into their unique worlds—one familiar, one perhaps not so familiar! Our congratulations to:

divider

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2007 Vernal Equinox Issue

This selection process seems to get harder with each issue, but we have awarded editors prizes to two amazing works. Both surprised us with their innovation, captured us with their voice and presence on the page, and thematically embraced what Cezanne's Carrot is all about. Our congratulations to:

divider

Two Cezanne's Carrot stories featured in the "Best of the Net Anthology"

Sundress Press recently selected two stories originally published in Cezanne's Carrot for their 2006 Best of the Net Anthology.

With only six fiction pieces featured in the anthology, it was gratifying to see Mary Estrada's "Temperance, a Cautionary Tale" and C.S. Fuqua's "Magic." Both originally appeared in our 2006 Summer Solstice issue.

divider

2006 Puschart Nominees Announced

Winnowing down all the poems and stories we loved from the last year was a process that involved much discussion, much email, and much anguish—but we finally did decide on our six picks. We offer our congratulations and gratitude to:

divider

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2006 Winter Solstice Issue

With just two editors now awarding prizes, the competition has gotten tougher. We're happy to award the prizes to two writers whose work captured our imagination and our hearts—and never let go. Congratulations to:

divider

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2006 Autumnal Equinox Issue

One of the most difficult — and most rewarding — tasks of publishing each issue of Cezanne's Carrot is choosing just three of the excellent literary works to be awarded our $25 Editors' Prizes. This issue's selection process proved to be no easier!

The works we ultimately picked are some that, as we talk about in this issue's Editors' Note, take the reader beyond the world of our physical senses, into territory that is just as real as the physical, and that we believe will become more familiar to all people as the Universe shifts to a higher consciousness. Each piece is imaginative, provocative, and has that "wow" factor we all love to encounter in our reading.

And so, with kudos to all the authors and artists whose work graces this issue, we congratulate the Editors' Prize winners of the Autumnal Equinox 2006 issue of Cezanne's Carrot:

divider

Carrot Editor Published in Norton Flash Fiction Anthology

We are delighted to announce the release of Flash Fiction Forward: 80 Very Short Stories, a new anthology of flash fiction by some of the most well-known and respected fiction writers of today, including Grace Paley, John Updike, Amy Hempel, Pamela Painter, Richard Bausch, Paul Theroux — and our own Barbara Jacksha, co-founder and editor of Cezanne's Carrot.

The anthology's editors, James Thomas and Robert Shapard, write that they were "determined to bring you the best flashes from America in the twenty-first century." They scoured the periodical world and chose their selections for the finest published flash fiction. Barbara's story, "Geometry Can Fail Us," was first published in Beloit Fiction Journal in 2004.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company, Flash Fiction Forward is available now at bookstores and online booksellers.
Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2006 Summer Solstice Issue

We're learning that it will never be easy to select our three $25 Editors' Prize winners. Each of this issue's winning works touched us with its richness, complexity, and depth. These are pieces you'll want to read again and again. Our congratulations go to:

  • Mary Estrada, for her short story "Temperance (a cautionary tale)"
  • C.S. Fuqua, for his short story "Magic"
  • Miriam Sagan, for her poem "The Twelve Dancing Princesses"
    •

divider

Editors' Prizes Awarded for 2006 Vernal Equinox Issue

With this, our second issue, we’ve begun awarding three $25 Editors’ Prizes to fiction, nonfiction, or poetry in each edition.

To pick just three pieces from the work in this issue was a lot like holding a handful of brilliant diamonds and then trying to choose the ones with the greatest sparkle. Not an easy task.

But we did select three pieces that resonated with us on a number of levels. Each exhibits great artistry as well as a deep wisdom that both inspired us and left us breathless. Our congratulations go to:

  • Tamara Kaye Sellman, for her short story "Messages"
  • Marian Kaplun Shapiro, for her poem "Naming"
  • Laura Stamps, for her poem "White Porches"
    •

divider

2005 Puschart Nominees Announced

Our first bit of news is the announcement of our Pushcart Prize nominees. We would have nominated every one of our contributors' works, but each journal is limited to six selections. It was a very difficult decision, and one we had to make before all of our contributors sent us their work. Nevertheless, we offer our congratulations to:

  • Mary Estrada, "Pastorela"
  • Mary Estrada, "La Sirena"
  • Antonios Maltezos, "A Fond Memory of Lovingkindness"
  • Lyn Lifshin, "Sunset Limited"
  • Joan Logghe, "The Strange Guest"
  • Pam Wynn, "Resurrection"

divider

About Cezanne's Carrot Literary Journal and Website Most recent stories published by Cezanne's Carrot Submission Guidelines Resources: Links to Other Writing/Spiritual-Visionary Sources Make a donation Past Issues of Cezanne's Carrot