Northland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors Short Story competition winner Eddie Williams. Photo / Supplied
Northland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors Short Story competition winner Eddie Williams. Photo / Supplied
Waipū writer Eddie Williams’ highly unpredictable and at times unnerving short story has landed him the top honour in the Northland Branch Open Short Story Awards.
His entry outshined 40 others nationwide - from Arrowtown in the south to Ahipara in the north - with judges Jac Jenkins and Kathy Derrick from Pavlova Press saying his story, Lost on the River, was an “outstanding favourite from the start”.
Williams’ story is centred on the character Hank, who has long been dead. He is lost on the river between the living and the dead unaware that “his essence” is languishing.
“What a story,” the judges’ comments said.
“It is intricately structured with a great deal of authorly attention paid to every aspect - everything is there for a purpose [...]”
Jenkins and Derrick called the story’s construction “masterful” with a carefully handled point of view.
“It is highly original, unpredictable and in places unnerving. A powerful story that warrants reading over and over.”
Williams, a New Zealand Red Cross First Aid administrator, has previously had two flash fiction stories published in the 2021 NZ anthology: You Might Want to Read This.
In the same year, he self-published his debut novel, A Volatile Mixtape.
While the Liverpool-born writer took out the top honour, his story was not the only one to impress the judges.
Second place went to Anissa Ljanta, of Karekare in Auckland, for her story: The Shimmer Lines.
The judges described the writer, mama, coach, and equity advocate’s entry as an original take on the ‘lost’ theme and a good example of an author trusting the reader.
“Everything is handled carefully but with a seemingly light touch [...] A highly crafted and successful story,” they said.
Anissa Ljanta, of Auckland. Photo / Tessa Chrisp
Writing is the first love of Ljanta - who is proudly ADHD, autistic and queer - and the craft is how she makes sense of the world.
Another Northlander joined the list of podium finishes as Ahipara’s Karen Phillips took out third place.
Her entry Loess/Loss is a “poignant story beautifully and sensitively written” exploring New Zealand’s changing and vanishing landscape and our interactions with it over time.
The judges said Phillips had pulled off the story’s challenging perspective well.
“Loess/Loss gives us the best traditional treatment of the ‘lost’ theme. It includes rich writing and original metaphors that are wonderfully restrained.”
Karen Phillips, from Ahipara, placed third in the Northland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors Short Story competition. Photo / Supplied
Phillips began writing in 2009 and won the Katherine Mansfield Novice Award and the Heartland competition that year.
Her writing has been published in Takahe, The Spin Off, Flash Frontier and the Fresh Ink and Breach of All Sighs anthologies. A Question of Blood and other stories was published by Steele Roberts Aotearoa in 2017 and Glass Houses and Other Stories by The Cuba Press in 2020.
Entries into this year’s awards, sponsored by the Advocate and Pavlova Press, “delighted, surprised, stunned, and entertained” the judges.
“At Pavlova Press, we consider voice one of the most important elements of creative writing and were pleased to see many strong voices in the competition lineup.”
The judges highly commended Anniversary by Patricia Bell of Auckland. Other commended stories were: Marlon Williams at the Pt Chev RSA by Greta Simmonds of Ōpua, and Ray’s Couch by Janet Pates of Tūākau.
