academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Essays, non-fiction, Other

June Micro Memoir Contest: Bronze Winner: “Handle It” by Anna Lee

The throbbing pain inside my inflamed throat was excruciating.The congestion of my nasal passages made it nearly impossible for me to breathe. My head, which was as heavy as a concrete slab of stone, pulsed painfully with every step I took.  “Anna. If you can’t handle it, just go see a doctor.”As I lay down … Continue reading June Micro Memoir Contest: Bronze Winner: “Handle It” by Anna Lee

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Miscellaneous

May Microfiction Contest: Gold Winner: “Breadcrumbs” by Scott Tierney

The two noble mountaineers, weighed down by their leathers and hoods and frost-encrusted beards, were less than an arm's reach apart and within touching distance of the summit; yet the brutal, howling, all-engulfing blizzard made both distances seem insurmountable. “Victor!” Dudley screamed over the torrent of snow, both his voice and parched lips cracking with … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Gold Winner: “Breadcrumbs” by Scott Tierney

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Miscellaneous

May Microfiction Contest: Silver Winner: “The Vampire Child” by Oliver Kleyer

When the vampire hunter finally managed to break open the door and enter the tomb, the vampires had already abandoned it. Coffins were overturned; lids fallen to the floor. The hunter looked around. It seemed like there was nothing to do for him here anymore. Then he saw something move behind a coffin. Slowly, he … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Silver Winner: “The Vampire Child” by Oliver Kleyer

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Miscellaneous

May Microfiction Contest: Bronze Winner: “Under the Moonglade” by Jacob Young

On the beach, we dreamed of our remains. In a millennium, would they find them? Would they find the ash moon in the sand where a fire once singed the peach fuzz on our cheeks, when we made believe we were troglodytes, our beer bottles wedged in dunes? They could trace our steps along the … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Bronze Winner: “Under the Moonglade” by Jacob Young

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

April Poetry Contest: Gold Winner: “What I Write” by Matthew Lee

My poetry is written in the dark.A promised secrecy — thatis my antidote to persisted remembrance,an echolalia of incomplete things.I give myself out. In my momentof vulnerability, the lonely hour,I think I see before me a wallpaperof a thousand thundering eyes,boring bullet-holes into my sternum.But they will find no heart, for I have alreadylaid it … Continue reading April Poetry Contest: Gold Winner: “What I Write” by Matthew Lee

academyoftheheartandmind Fiction, Poetry

April Poetry Contest: Silver Winner: “Depth Valley” by Alex Andy Phuong

Flashes of flickering lightWithin a valley of ashesCould offer hope for humanity As well as overcoming adversity,And given the nature of reality,Venturing into the depths of the abyssCould provide a thrilling adventure That could be hit or miss,So understand the significance Of the depths of the soulWhile marveling at the wonderOf the world as a … Continue reading April Poetry Contest: Silver Winner: “Depth Valley” by Alex Andy Phuong

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

April Poetry Contest: Bronze Winner: “What Holiness Lay in Bug Bodies” by Salem Burdett

the bug bodied boy sweptthe once green now brownbarren ground with tiny dirty handsjust like he once was swept picked from ground that once grew something and that something was beautiful once it must’ve been.he found a tiny bug body accidentally founditself in his careful hands and wondered how it would livehow would that body … Continue reading April Poetry Contest: Bronze Winner: “What Holiness Lay in Bug Bodies” by Salem Burdett

academyoftheheartandmind Announcements, Fiction, Poetry

Spring Contest Poetry Co-Winner: “Jasmine Star” by Stephen Kingsnorth

I’m weary with this blanket wrapof fog or snow, ground war dead clogged,but then remember under feetthose sacrifices, autumn spread,the fallen as of golden youth,with winter hopes yet stratified’mongst mycorrhiza, worldwide web,while greys and browns are all around.Think aconite, hellebore,those lightning stars of yellow striketo break monotony of rimethat seals the prevalence of death.How dare … Continue reading Spring Contest Poetry Co-Winner: “Jasmine Star” by Stephen Kingsnorth