Beyond Boundaries: SWW’s 2025 Contest Anthology of Winning Entries
The mission of SouthWest Writers is given in our tagline: Writers Helping Writers. The purpose of our annual contest is to fulfill this mission by encouraging writers to use their voice in the world. This year we had over 300 entries in 18 categories from talented writers eager to share their work. (For place standings, go to the contest winners page.)
In Beyond Boundaries, you’ll find adventure, wisdom, whimsy, and finesse. Some of the authors showcased here consider themselves to be professionals of the craft; some consider themselves hobbyists. Some wrote in genres or styles outside of their comfort zones; some revisited familiar waters in search of new treasures. But they all have one thing in common: they had the courage to share their work with the world. The result of their courage is evident in this year’s anthology of winning entries.
Front and back covers by SWW member Rosa Armijo-Pemble.
For Sale
Paperback editions of the anthology are available on Amazon. Revenue from the sale of Beyond Boundaries will support SouthWest Writers, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to helping both published and unpublished writers improve their craft and further their careers.
Winners of the 2025 writing contest as listed in the Table of Contents:
Flash Fiction
Announcement ♦ Ellen Welker
Afterward ♦ Alane Brown
How Much? ♦ Suzanne Stauffer
General Short Fiction
Hera in The Wild ♦ Maralie Waterman
Gold in The Mountains ♦ Kellie Lundmark
Aloha ♦ Helene Senac
Threshold ♦ Alane Brown
Short Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Alone in Warsaw ♦ Mark Edward Jones
Robert Frost is to Blame ♦ Inna Valerie Lyon
The Fork ♦ Alane Brown
Short Science Fiction/Fantasy
Summon the Jackalope ♦ Sarah Mock
Droids like White Elephants ♦ Nancy Schrock
Short General Speculative/Horror/Paranormal
When the Fog Calls ♦ Dita Dow
The Raftman’s Tale ♦ Dita Dow
The Haunting of Alexandra Blackwood ♦ Dita Dow
Short Middle Grade Fiction
Sleepover at The Zoo ♦ Mary Therese Ellingwood
The Curious Friendship of Patch and Barney ♦ Linda Harkey
The Bike—1945 ♦ Vicki Kay Turpen
Short Young Adult Fiction
Love in a Boy’s Heart ♦ Jeffrey Stephen Otis
Exposure ♦ Sarah Mock
Short Nonfiction: Memoir
Inventing the World’s Best Bird Feeder ♦ Larry Kilham
The Secret Pet ♦ Kstein
Home Dance ♦ Amelia Greco-Welden
Short Article/Essay/General Nonfiction
The Farmers of the Colorado River (A Comedy) ♦ Sarah Mock
When a Deer is Not a Deer ♦ Terry Nichols
Goodbye, Grub ♦ Terry Nichols
Opening Chapter Unpublished General Fiction
The Purest Heart ♦ Bonnie Hobbs
Obsidian ♦ C.R. Slover
Cow Hunters, 1875 ♦ Robert Temple
Sunset’s End ♦ VP Felmlee
Opening Chapter Unpublished Mystery/Crime/Thriller
Weapons of Mass Destruction ♦ Dan Chiras
The Judge’s Wife ♦ Linda Krug
Balloon Fiesta Murders ♦ Don Weston
100 ♦ Wolf O’Rourc
Opening Chapter Unpublished Speculative Fiction
Mother’s Mountain ♦ Claire A. Murray
To The Stars ♦ Alane Brown
Chapter 1: Splashdown ♦ Carol Rawie
Opening Chapter Unpublished Nonfiction Memoir
This Little Light ♦ Kendra L. Rickert
Hilsen ♦ Daniele Longo
Last Day ♦ Tammie Lamphere-Alberti
Opening Chapter Unpublished General Nonfiction
A Brief Guide to a Better Death with Hospice Support ♦ Ellen Kim
Free Verse Poetry
Mendocino in December ♦ Kathleen Holmes
My Body, My Boundary ♦ Miranda Martori
Full Moon Farewell ♦ Alane Brown
Haiku
Ghost Ranch Dances ♦ A. Michael Hibner
Chama Box ♦ A. Michael Hibner
None-Haiku ♦ Sherry Moon
Limerick
The Young Lady from Bath ♦ William S Stotts Jr.
A Man from Vermont ♦ William S Stotts Jr.
Girl from Slidell ♦ Mark Fleisher
Short Screenplay
The Bones of His Shoulders ♦ Stanley Ray
Horse ♦ Bonnie Adams