Crystallize Review

A Journal of Creative Writing at SUNY Cortland

News

Distinguished Voices in Literature

2023 Opening Scene Prose Contest Winners Selected by Barrett Bowlin, author of Ghosts Caught on Film:

Winner: “If I’d Been Seen” by Leila Torres

“In what the author has titled “If I’d Been Seen,” the diminutive narrator describes how he used to stuff his tiny frame into lockers as a child and listen in on conversations at school, and then he lets us know that this same technique of hiding himself is coming in handy in the present day, as he’s watching through his closet doors while a stranger violently rip apart his bedroom with a knife. We telescope back and forth between the narrator’s skills at hiding and listening, and how none of those abilities are going to save him now that the stranger has seen him through the closet doors. It’s a nicely focused and harrowing opening, and I can’t wait to see what happens next to the narrator in peril.” – Barrett Bowlin, author of Ghosts Caught on Film
.
Runner-up: Kathleen Considine 
“In [this opener], a stranger is in the process of violating the main character’s environment and life. What starts off the story, then, is an outstanding description of walking through the rain in NYC’s Lower East Side before quickly turning into a menacing scene, as the unnamed main character notices a sudden change in the air on her walk home one night. A dark figure has been following her, someone who stands out in among all the other pedestrians in the busy metropolis.” -Barret Bowlin, author of Ghosts Caught on Film

***

Distinguished Voices in Literature

2023 Poetry Contest Winners Selected by Benjamin Garcia, author of Thrown in the Throat:

Finalists: “Speaking Honestly” by Leila Torres and “Polarized” by Libby Feltis

“[These Poems] have an energy that taps into the personal and the political.” – Benjamin Garcia, author of Thrown in the Throat

Winner: “Is it Selfish to Mourn the Loss of Experiences?” by Amber Pierson

“This poem complicates our understanding of grief when mourning a loved one. The question of “how does this affect me?” seems selfish, but the speaker’s struggle with this question appears to make an argument in favor of asking “how does this affect me?” Like a pebble dropped in water, this poem makes room to explore the concentric rings of loss as they move away from the center.” – Benjamin Garcia, author of Thrown in the Throat

***

Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing

The College Writing Committee has announced the winners of the 2022 Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing.

Poetry

Winner: “A Mutated Sonnet for English Teachers and Their Complicated Work” by Maeve Brady

Honorable Mention: “Strawberry Cream Puffs” by Meagan Conway

Fiction

Winner: “Our Hill of Stars” by Caroline Sweikata

Creative Nonfiction

Winner: “Untitled” by Savannah Domachowske

Honorable Mention: “How That Which Life Bears Also Saves: A Narrative on Literacy and Recovery” by Andrew Haaland

Digital/Multimodal

Winner: “Untitled” by Peter Rogati

Honorable Mention: “Organization Proposal” by Megan Haaland

***

Distinguished Voices in Literature

Writing Contest Winners Selected by Gina Nutt, author of Night Rooms:

“Obsession”

Honorable Mention: “Floating Face Down” by Libby Feltis

“This poem’s lines cascade through a sensory study of grief that explores. A prismatic honoring of absence, as well as a wise reflection upon survival and mortality.” –Gina Nutt, author of Night Rooms

Finalist: “A Mother’s Touch” by Jaxyn Boyce

“This lightning-fast portrait of a mother and a speaker’s reckoning with a mother-child relationship is tender and immersive. The brevity throws this complex connection into sharp, cinematic relief to carefully reflect on this bond.”  –Gina Nutt, author of Night Rooms

Winner: “The Bus to the Haunting House” by Tricia Seel

“‘The Bus to the Haunting House’ knows the ache of obsession and inhabits the walls of a gone childhood home. Engrossing, honest, and fearless in delving deep into the structures–physical, social, and institutional–that can shape a life.”  –Gina Nutt, author of Night Rooms

***

Distinguished Voices in Literature

Writing Contest Winners Selected by author Emily Fridlund:

We’re delighted to announce that Emily Fridlund has selected the following pieces for recognition in the 2019 fiction contest. Both pieces will be published in the 2020 issue of Crystallize Review.

Regan Ralston, a first-year graduate student in English, was the winner of the Fall 2019 Distinguished Voices Short Story Contest for her short story, “Death in Four Parts.”

Sarah Daniels, a second-year inclusive childhood education major, was named finalist for her short story “Blue Elephants.”

***

Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing

The College Writing Committee has announced the winners of the 2019 Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be featured in the 2020 Issue of the Crystallize Review.

Sean Dunn, a graduate student in recreation, won the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Poetry for “Shotgun,” written in a class taught by Scott Moranda, history professor.

Leslie Mejia, a junior health education major, won honorable mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Poetry for “Loving You from Memory,” written in a professional writing course taught by Mario Hernandez, lecturer II in English.

Keaona Gray-Outlaw, a junior professional writing major, won both first place and honorable mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Fiction for “Out of the Box” and “Dancing on the Pavement.” Both stories were written in professional writing classes taught by Heather Bartlett, English instructor. Gray-Outlaw also won honorable mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction for “Brooklyn: We Go HARD,” written in a class taught by David Franke, English and professional writing professor.

Kristina J. Petrella, a senior psychology major, was the Collin Anderson Memorial Award winner for Creative Nonfiction for “That Gold Foil Tho,” written in a class taught by David Franke, English and professional writing professor.

***

Distinguished Voices in Literature

Writing Contest Winners Selected by SAPPHIRE:

We’re delighted to announce that Sapphire has selected the following pieces as winners in the Spring 2019 “Where I’m From” contest. All three pieces will be published in a Special Feature in the current issue of Crystallize Review.

1st Place: “Alex” by Taylor Price
2nd Place: “Jay Street” by Alice Mitchell
3rd Place: “Clean Up” by Hannah Fitzgerald

 

Sapphire is the author of two bestselling novels, Push and The Kid. Push was adapted into the Academy Award-winning major motion film Precious, which received the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. Sapphire is also the author of two collections of poetry: American Dreams, and Black Wings & Blind Angels. Her work has been translated into thirteen languages and has been adapted for stage in the United States and Europe. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have appeared in The Black  Scholar, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Teacher’s Voice, The New Yorker, Spin, and Bomb.

***

Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing

The College Writing Committee has announced the winners of the 2018 Collin Anderson Memorial Awards in Creative Writing. Winners and Honorable Mentions will be featured in the 2019 Issue of the Crystallize Review.

Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Fiction:
Elle Kellher, “Turpentine”

Honorable Mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Fiction:
Jullie Currier, “Janie Foster”

Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Poetry:
Griffin Smith, “Unspoken”

Honorable Mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Poetry:
Marlee Vedder, “If the World is Cold”

Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction:
Jonathan Herr, “Myself the Migrant”

Honorable Mention for the Collin Anderson Memorial Award in Creative Nonfiction:
Kaili Mello, “Falling Into Space”

 

***

Distinguished Voices Contest Winners 2019

We are thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2019 Distinguished Voices in Literature Poetry Prize, selected by our judge, Chen Chen, was Sean Dunn for his poems, “Lilac Trees (From Behind Screen Door)” and “Birdwatching.”

Finalists:
“How to Take a Life” by Steven Salisbury
“ode to my freshly-braided cornrows” by Alice Luo

The winner of the 2019 Distinguished Voices in Literature Personal Essay Prize, selected by our judge, Elissa Washuta, was Nathaniel Rose for his essay, “Origins.”

Finalists:
“Baby, There’s a Shark in the Water” by Elizabeth Hernandez
“the boogyman” by Neely Benoit

All winning and finalist work is forthcoming in the Crystallize Review.

 

***

Deadlines Extended and Cash Prizes added
for Distinguished Voices Poetry and Personal Essay Contests!

Chen Chen, author of When I Grow Up I Want to be a List of Further Possibilities will judge the Distinguished Voices Poetry Contest.

 

Elissa Washuta, author of Starvation Mode and My Body is a Book of Rules will judge the Distinguished Voices Personal Essay Contest.

 

Please see our Submissions page for details and guidelines.

***

Distinguished Voices in Literature Poetry Prize

Spring 2018

We are delighted to announce the winner of the Spring 2018 Distinguished Voices in Literature Poetry Prize is “Annuals” by Steven Salisbury, selected by our judge, Christine Kitano.

Finalists:

“I Did Not Intend to Speak Up” by Steven Salisbury

“Sanguinaria Candensis: Bloodroot” by Jeremy Collings

Honorable Mention:

“What’s a Good Caption For This Picture?” by Andrea O’Boyle

 

Christine Kitano is the author of the poetry collections Sky Country (BOA Editions, 2017) and Birds of Paradise (Lynx House Press, 2011). Her recent work is published in Portland Review, Miramar, and Wildness. She teaches at Ithaca College and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.

 

 

The first place, finalist, and honorable mention poems are published in our 2018 issue.

Fall 2018 Contests & Guidelines will be posted in September, 2018.