The Binnacle: First Annual Ultra-Short Edition

by Gerard NeCastro (Editor), Anikó J. Bartos (Contributor)

The Binnacle’s Annual International Ultra-Short Competition features the best works of narrative fiction and poetry of 150 words or fewer. Submissions are typically received from six continents and a couple dozen countries. From these hundreds of submissions fifty to sixty works are chosen for the annual edition, and among these a few receive cash prizes. Submissions are accepted each year via e-mail at ummbinnacle@maine.edu between December 1 and March 15. Notifications are made in early June. The publication is completed several months later. For more information, please visit The University of Maine at Machias at http://binnacle.machias.edu/.

This volume contains works by Raquelle Azran, Anikó J. Bartos, Anneka Beatty, Greg Beatty, F.J. Bergmann, Dennis Boyd, Robert Bradley, Gary Cadwallader, Charlie Cameron, Sonya Carver, Elizabeth Crabtree, Robert Craig, Donald Crane, Chris Crittenden, Steve Cross, Stephanie Curcione, Margaret B. Davidson, Audrey Dench, Pat Detmer, Frances Drabick, Peggy Duffy, Don Mahan Durbin, William Blaine "Jim" Durbin, Avery Elzmyth, Anna Evans, Avital Gad-Cykman, Shelby Goddard, Philip Good, Jim Hiner, Holly Iossa. Liesl Jobson, David Jordan, Swapna Kishore, M. Kelly Lombardi, Frank Marenghi, Katrina Martin, Suzanne Martins, Lisa McMann, Beth McMurray, Ellen Birkett Morris, Alysson B. Parker, Wayne Peters, Scott Ravede, Chad Redden, Shelly Rich, Molli Robey, Judi Rowena, J.R. Salling, Jacqueline Seewald, and Tgarma.

68 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 13, 2017

About the author

Born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, Gerard NeCastro, after graduating from Mercyhurst college, was an accountant and bookstore manager in Cranberry, Pennsylvania, and Redlands, California. While working as a bookseller by day, he returned to school at night, studying languages part-time and eventually joined the master’s program in English at the University of California – Riverside, where he began his long involvement with Chaucer, Dante, and Medieval and Renaissance Drama. When he completed his MA, he continued his studies in Medieval Literature at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. While he was there, he taught in the legendary Integrated Liberal Studies program where he developed his love of Art History.

Upon completion of his Ph.D., he taught for two years at the University of Maine – Orono, and then for many years both on the graduate faculty at Orono and the regular faculty at Machias, where, after teaching hundreds of classes and editing dozens of publications, he was named as Emeritus Professor of English and Humanities. After his retirement there, he began his second career at WLU in July 2017. He and Vicki, his wife of 30+ years, live in the quiet town of Bethany. When he is not serving as dean or teaching his classes, he spends his time reading, editing, gardening, and writing fiction and poetry. He is now revising his novels Columbine AS3 and The In-Law.