Posts tagged pushcart prize
“Blues for John T. Williams,” narrative nonfiction by Steve Griggs

Raven Chronicles Literary Press nominated 6 poems & prose works for the 2019 Pushcart Prize, XLIV Edition. This is one of the nominated pieces:

Blues for John T. Williams

“Hey! Hey! HEY!” the cop shouted. “Put the knife down! Put the knife down! PUT THE KNIFE DOWN!” The old Indian, walking along the sidewalk, lifted his gaze from his carving and looked over his right shoulder toward the young, white lawman nine feet behind him. The officer jerked the trigger of his sidearm five times. The Indian fell to the sidewalk, dead. It was just past 4 p.m. on August 30, 2010, at the corner of Boren and Howell. The sky was blue. The air was still. The Seattle Police Officer’s name was Ian Birk. The Indian’s name was John T. Williams.

Deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another is homicide. The officer’s shooting was ruled as “unjustified,” but the officer was not charged with homicide. The killing was awful but lawful.

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essaySarah SalcedoSteve Griggs, John T Williams, Seattle Police, seattle, Ian Birk, nonfiction, essay, raven chronicles, pushcart prize
“The External Me”: Creative Nonfiction by Sue Gale Pace

Raven Chronicles Literary Press nominated 6 poems & prose works for the 2019 Pushcart Prize, XLIV Edition. This is one of the nominated pieces:


I am not a hero nor am I someone who has the energy and drive to overcome any obstacle. I am neither beautiful nor athletic. I’m a decent cook and a terrible pianist. I don’t cheat on my husband or my taxes. I love my children.

I write fiction and non-fiction and poetry. I’ve been published in Newsweek. My novel can still be found on certain library shelves. I was writer-in-residence for Seattle University’s Creative Writing program. I have taught workshops at national conventions and Young Author conferences.

That is the external me.

Then there is the internal me. She is a woman who sits at the computer trying to remember if she wrote the poem on the screen or if she found it in a literary journal and copied it because she liked it and wanted to study the internal rhythms and external alliteration; a metaphor, perhaps, of her own life.

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essay, creative nonfictionSarah SalcedoThe External Me, sue gale pace, creative nonfiction, essay, raven chronicles, pushcart prize, Raven Chronicles Literary Press