Fleur 2020-07 - Honeysuckle
And the Winners Are ...
Judge's Comments
The stories this month brought with them the luscious scent of honeysuckle. It’s clear that this very special flower, more than most, entrances us with fragrance, creating or bringing back the memories of summer beauty and love and freedom. Our writers conjured up stories of love remembered or requited, happiness attained or recalled, all from the unforgettable experience of the scent (and sometimes taste) of honeysuckle.
Thanks to all our writers! Please keep sending us your best!
Honeysuckle Dreams – by Sandra James – WINNER
The winning story deftly weaves intriguing parallel narratives of grandmother and granddaughter, an extraordinary accomplishment in only 350 words. The inevitable intersection is powerful, and the resolution combines the honeysuckle with hope for new beginning. Inspired use of the prompt in this story!
Finalist Honors
In this story by a very talented high school writer, deep breaths of anxiety are soothed by the scent of honeysuckle at the moment of a personal revelation. Excellent use of the flower, especially its enduring power—“Its scent sends a shiver of the memory through me.”
Honey Jewel – by Ingrid Fournier
A well-crafted story of a summer day with young friends celebrating freedom just before the beginning of middle school. Powerful use of the scent and taste of honeysuckle as a kind of sacrament of friendship at childhood’s end.
Woodbine at Dusk – by Tiffany H White
A beautiful celebration of folklore, science, and love, with honeysuckle at its center. Beautiful, evocative language. “My grandfather is woodbine at dusk. I breathe the fragrance of summer five decades past and he is with me . . . “
Skillful use of the honeysuckle theme in its literary context. This fine mini-drama consists mostly of dialogue, with an ending that surprises. A stand-out.
Other Finalists
Honeysuckle Hope – by Sandra James
Congratulations to all our Public Voting winners! Two of our long-time members won first and second place, and a wonderful new member took the third place prize. Congratulations to Tejal Doshi, Ingrid Fournier and Tif Harding!
We hope you will share these stories with friends and family, colleagues and coworkers. Writers need readers – let’s get the world reading our stories!
Learn more about the contest which inspired this story: Fleur 2020-07 Honeysuckle
