Transforming Communities: Winning entries for the 2020 Waterloo Festival Writing Competition

by Mehreen Ahmed

Waterloo Festival Writing Competition Winners, 2020.

Transforming Communities is the theme of the 2020 Waterloo Festival Writing Competition. It is also the title of the e-book that contains the winning entries. We chose these because they tell a good story, have a strong voice, and are imaginative in their interpretation of the theme. The writers present us with characters that are believable and rounded. The stories all contain a pleasing narrative balance.

Entrants were asked to produce a short story or a monologue in 1,000 words or fewer. Less is certainly more here. Style is diverse and each story is completely different from the others.

This delightful English language anthology of literary fiction comes to you for under £2.50.

49 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2020

About the author

Australian author Mehreen Ahmed is celebrated by the Midwest Book Review for her "exceptional flair for narrative storytelling and compellingly memorable characters" in her novel, "The Pacifist". The review describes the book as "deftly crafted and consistently entertaining," as well as "original, compelling, skillfully written from cover to cover," making it "very highly recommended."It is also, a Drunken Druid Editor's Choice.She has authored eleven books comprised of novels, novellas and shorts_short stories, micro/flash fictions were widely published and translated into Greek,Bangla,German and have won contests,shortlisted for Editor's Choice Awards,nominations for BestSmallFictions,5botN,2Pushcart and JamesTait.AntipodeSF Radio featured her shorts. Currently,she is the Guest Fiction Editor of Panorama:JournalofTravel,Place,and Nature.

>Publications/Forthcoming
TempleinaCity,BendingGenres,Boudin:McNeeseStateUniversity,CambridgeUniversityPress,ChironReview,UniversityofHawaii Press,MichiganStateUniversityPress,PerceptionMagazine:SyracuseUniversity,StraylightMagazine:WisconsinParklandUniversity,TheTalonReview:NorthFloridaUniversity,MetachrosisLiterary:DundeeUniversity,BitterleafBooks:YSJ,PopshotQuarterly,CoffinBell,AntipodeanSF,Aphelion:Website of ScienceFictionandFantasy,Callej,UniversityofKentPress,TheSheaf,Jimson WeedUVA,UltramarineLitRev,TheBayouReview,MuseIndia,CentaurLit,HootReview,
ShortsMagazine,BlazeVOX,ArgyleLiteraryMagazine,JournalofExpressiveWriting,SixSentences,IceFloePress,LitroUK,PanoramaTheJournalofTravelPlaceandNature,MrBull,Otoliths,SoFloPoJo,
OlneyMagazine,AlternateRoute,TheGorkoGazette,PorchLitMag,WordCityLit,TheAntonym,The HennepinReview,LiteraryHeist,MadSwirl,RogueAgent,VineLeafReview,OctoberHillMagazine,OddballMagazine,InParenthesis.artLitMagNew Modernism,ConnotationPress,DoorIsAJar,ELJ
ScissorsandSpackle,VisualVerse,FlashBoulevard,
FiveMinutes,QuateraryRealmsAnthology,ChewersandMasticadores,QuailBell,Crêpe&Penn,FlashFrontier,EllipsisZine,Ginosko#24#29#30,TheCabinetofHeed,ActiveMuse,HeroinChic,LoveInTheTime ofCovidChronicle,WellingtonStreetReview,NailpolishStories,Setu,ImpspiredMagazine,ThornLiterary,Magazine,3MoonMagazine,SageCigarettes,TheBombayReview,FlashBackFiction,DownInTheDirt,DarkWinterLiteraryMagazine,AcademyOfHeartAndMind,PikerPress,Kitaab,CommuterLit,AngelCityReview,FreeFlashFiction,CafeDissensus,ThePunch,FurtiveDalliance,InkPantry,FlashFictionNorth,BridgeHouse,CosmicTeapot and others.

Awards/Nominations/Recognitions
>Winner
DrunkenDruidEditor'sChoice2017/ThePacifist
FirstPlace_AcademyoftheHeartandMind,May FlowersContest2022/ThePhasesoftheMoon
CoWinner_WaterlooWritingCompetition May2020/Dolly
AyaskalaLiteraryMagazine2023/RainandCoffee
Cabinet-of-Heed Stream-of-ConsciousnessChallenge April2020 DrawerFour/BlackMirror
>Nominations
2Pushcart:ParadoxOfLove:CentaurLit2026,Ylem:PaperDjinn2020
BestSmallFictions,TheStretch:Boudin2025
5BestoftheNet:Interlude-LiteratiMagazine2020,Elysium:FlashFictionNorth2020,NumberNinetyFour:DecolonialPassage2024,OftheBlueEvening:GorkoGazette2025
JamesTaitBlackPrize2021,Gatherings:BridgeHousePublishing
>Finalist/Shortlist
Finalist:FourthAdelaideLiteraryAward contest,February2020/FlowerGirl/
Shortlisted:FreedomFictionJournalEditor'sChoiceAwards/Flamenco24/AroundtheBend25
>Honourable Mentions
WeaversOfWordsContestUnpublishedPlatform 2022/SilentBleat
>Bestof/MostRead/Top10
AntipodeanSF25PainttheCityRed
AntipodeanSF25Cloudfields
EthelZine24Dead-Fly
AlienBuddha23/24TheRiverofMelted Chocolate/The Scripts
TheGorkoGazette23/OftheBlueEvening ReadersFavFic
MadSwirl23/24Space/Vape/CitySmell/InStillness
ImpspiredMag/MultipleTimesTop10Read
CafeLit8Writer'sChoice2019BatsDownunder.
>Milestone Selection
AlienBuddha2023/DeepWell
>Special Collector's Edition
PopshotQuarterly 41:2023/RiverofMeltedChocolate.
>Audiobooks Best Seller/Others
ThePacifist2017
PeekingCatLiterary