South 85 Journal is delighted to congratulate Benjamin Garcia, whose flash fiction story “Mourning Dove,” was selected by Marlin Barton as winner of the 2019 Julia Peterkin Flash Fiction Contest.

Benjamin Garcia’s first collection, THROWN IN THE THROAT (Milkweed Editions, Fall 2020), was selected for the 2019 National Poetry Series by Kazim Ali. His work has recently appeared or is forthcoming in: The Missouri Review, American Poetry Review, New England Review, Kenyon Review, and Crazyhorse. Find him on twitter: @bengarciapoet

Honorable mention goes to “Distilled Water” by Ethan Joella.

Ethan Joella teaches English and psychology at University of Delaware and runs his own business that specializes in writing workshops and online course development. His work has appeared in River Teeth, The International Fiction Review, The MacGuffin, Rattle, Delaware Beach Life, and Third Wednesday. He has published two poetry chapbooks and lives in Delaware and Pennsylvania with his wife and daughters.

This year’s finalists are “Chappaquiddick” by Leah Browning, “Pieces” by Kenneth Weene, and “My New Young Wife” by Hal Ackerman.

This year’s submissions were particularly well written making the final decision difficult.

Look for these winning stories in the December 2019 issue of South 85 Journal.