Here they are: the 2014 storySouth Million Writers Award notable stories. Thanks to all the editors and readers who nominated stories, which storySouth's preliminary judges then used to create this list. All of these stories were originally published in online magazines and journals during 2013.
Right now the three final judges (full disclosure: I'm one of them) are reading through the stories below, so expect the top ten stories—and the public vote for the overall winners—in a few weeks.
If you'd like to donate to this year's prize money, click on the "donate" button on the main Million Writers Award page. Obviously this award doesn't work without everyone who supports it.
And that brings me to something I want to throw out to the literary world—the notable list below first emerged through nominations from readers and editors of online magazines. If you're wondering why your favorite story or favorite online magazine isn't listed, it's likely because no one nominated them. So next year nominate stories for the award!
2014 storySouth Million Writers Award notable stories
- 57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides by Sam J. Miller (Nightmare Magazine)
- A Rumor of Angels by Dale Bailey (Tor.com)
- A Series of Windows by Alex McElroy (Four Way Review)
- A Window or a Small Box by Jedediah Berry (Tor.com)
- A Window or a Small Box by Jedediah Berry (Tor.com)
- Acting Lessons by Janalyn Guo (InterFictions Online)
- Briefly Luminous Against the Dark by Stephen Ornes (Portland Review)
- Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes (Tor.com)
- Cigarettes in Heaven by Jon Pearson (Carve Magazine)
- Cross Hairs: 833 Meters by Marin Mălaicu-Hondrari (Body Literature)
- Dirwhals! By Ethan Rutherford (Five Chapters)
- Distance by Susan Tepper (Thrice Fiction)
- Ecstatic Gringo by Zachary Amendt (Barely South Review)
- Eminence by Caroline Casper (Carve Magazine)
- Encased By Ali Eteraz (Forge)
- Family: To Become Immortal By Seth Clabough (Litro)
- Final Days of the Third Directorate by Ilya Leybovich (decomP)
- Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby by Billy O'Callaghan (Linnet's Wings)
- Heisenberg by William Shih (Carve Magazine)
- Hideous Interview with Brief Man by Nick Mamatas (Fiddleback
- Horticulture by Cody T Luff (Swamp Biscuits and Tea)
- Inclusion by John Givens (Cha: An Asian Literary Journal)
- Inventory by Carmen Maria Machado (Strange Horizons)
- I've Always Thought Marjorie Was Okay by G. K. Wuori (Eclectica)
- Jack of Coins by Christopher Rowe (Tor.com)
- Melt With You by Emily C. Skaftun (Clarkesworld)
- Mock Epic by Christine Hoffmann (Eclectica)
- Nothing Ventured By Colette Sartor (Five Chapters)
- On Murder Island by Matt Williamson (Nightmare Magazine)
- Quantum Tentacles by Emily Koon (Fiddleback)
- Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma (Tor.com)
- Repairing the Robot by Micah Dean Hicks (New Orleans Review)
- Silent Bridge, Pale Cascade by Benjanun Sriduangkaew (Clarkesworld)
- The Beasts We Want to Be by Sam J. Miller (Electric Velocipede)
- The Carnival Was Eaten, All Except the Clown by Caroline M. Yoachim (Electric Velocipede)
- The Filmmaker: Eight Takes by Grant Faulkner (Eclectica)
- The Grinning Man by An Tran (Eclectica)
- The Gymnast by Jennifer Harvey (Carve Magazine)
- The Kind of Man by Celeste Ng (Five Chapters)
- The Last Highway by Jonathan Sapers (Eclectica)
- The Long Road to the Deep North By Lavie Tidhar (Strange Horizons)
- The Phantom Harlot by An Tran (Big Lucks)
- The Shrodinger War by D. Thomas Minton (Lightspeed Magazine)
- Tiger Heaven by Patricia Marquez (Pacifica)
- Two Prodigal Molecultes of the Gulf Stream by Svetlana Lavochkina (Superstition Review)
- What I Wouldn't Do by Dina Guidubaldi (Superstition Review)
- Who Are You Supposed to Be? by Elise Burke (Swarm)
Update: The following stories were added to the notable list on Oct. 17: "Dirwhals!" by Ethan Rutherford, "Distance" by Susan Tepper, and "Melt With You" by Emily C. Skaftun. A year ago these three stories were accidentally named to the MWA notable list of 2012 stories even though they were actually published in 2013. At that time it was decided they'd be added to this year's notable list.