It’s that time again. Last week, The L launched Literary Upstart, its annual short fiction competition extravaganza, at the Wythe Hotel, where five readers duked it out in front of our panel of judges, featuring the New Yorker’s Ben Greenman, Cal Morgan (editorial director at Harper Perennial), Luis Jaramillo (author and associate chair of the writing program at the New School), and Katherine Fausset (literary agent at Curtis Brown). At the end of the night, there could be only one winner (we tip our hats to Jonathan Goldberg with his story “Owl Stretching Time”), but today, videos of all the competitors from that first semi-final are available to watch.
Our next war of the words will take place on May 24, and the final deadline for submission is May 28. In the meantime, enjoy the fruits of the other competitors’ labors, Ben Greenman’s sparkling wit, and L Mag editor-in-chief Jonny Diamond’s considerable hosting talents after the jump.
Anneliese Downey, “Les Details”
Jonathan Goldberg, “Owl Stretching Time”
Benjamin Dolson, “Scatter The People”
Thomas Israel Hopkins, “An Obstacle To Empathy”
Jenny Hapler, “Life Camp”