Storytime with Writers' Playground

A colourful journey on a train for a young girl... "A Suitcase of Colours" won 6th Place, out of 606 entries, in our Seventh Playground Challenge. Anne Wilkins is a sleep-deprived primary school teacher from Auckland, New Zealand, and she is a talented short fiction writer who, one day, hopes to actually get around to publishing some books and longer work… Check out her website, annewilkinsauthor.com and follow her on Fac...

An ancient shape-changing being haunts a pool of water, feeding on passersby. Can it change its nature for a man who refuses to fear it? "Time Like Water" won 5th Place, out of 570 entries, in our Sixth Playground Challenge. Ashley Evans lives in Bethlehem, New Hampshire with her husband and one very spoiled dog. She enjoys working from home as a graphic designer by day, and dabbling in making art and writing by night. Ch...

When 14-year-old Ivy learns she’s moving, she retreats to her childhood treehouse to work through her complicated feelings about her mom, her dad, and what it means to let go... "Holding Pattern" won 2nd Place, out of 697 entries, in our Eleventh Playground Challenge: A Fiction Short Story Competition. Corrie Haldane is an award-winning short fiction writer whose work appears in numerous online and print publications, inc...

A frustrated teen spends summer holidays at his grandparents' vineyard while his parents try to work on their marriage. Personalities clash in this Australian coming of age tale... "The Whole Mosquito" won 1st Place, out of 697 entries, in the Eleventh Playground Challenge: A Fiction Short Story Competition. Louise Walton lives in Australia on NSW's mid-north coast with her husband and three children (and chickens...

In the winter of 1937, a young girl and her parents seek safety in the prelude to one of the greatest tragedies of World War II... "The Snow Shrine" won 3rd Place, out of 606 entries, in our Seventh Playground Challenge. George Cooksey is an officer in the US Air Force who likes to write in his spare time. He is a part of the "Suggestion Mode" writing group alongside lifelong friends and fellow writers Miguel Fl...

When Nora's older sister speaks of the creatures she sees, Nora almost sees them as well, but as their parents understand the extent of her beliefs, they react differently. Set in 1920s Denmark... "The Mare in Me" won 5th Place, out of 606 entries, in our Seventh Playground Challenge. Liv Strom is a writer from Zurich, Switzerland and you can follow Liv on Instagram @authorlivstrom and you can check out more of her wo...

A pregnant, sarcastic teen is sent away to St. Bernadette’s Maternity Home in 1966, where she’ll have her baby in secret and get on with her life... "Unidentified Flying Objects" won 1st Place in our Ninth Playground Challenge. Read more of Mandy's work on her website www.mandylange.com and follow her on Instagram @m.m.lange. You can also read more of the winning stories from our challenges at www.writersplaygroundllc...

Ada is dead and wants nothing to do with the afterlife. Charley is alive and is desperate to contact someone on the other side... "When the Soul Catcher Knocks" won 3rd Place in our Tenth Playground Challenge. Read more of MM Schreier's work at mmschreier.com or check out her collections: Monstrosity, Humanity, a monster horror collection, and, Bruised, Resilient , a speculative & litfic feminist collection. You c...