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Past Winners
2025 BEST OF THE BEST
Marlow Wyatt, (Los Angeles, CA) - "Sweetie's Confession"
T J Young (Pittsburgh, PA) - "Before The Fire"
Charity Clark-Anderson (Southfield, MI) - "Mama's Breath"
Russell Nichols (Vallejo, CA) - "Why Husbands Hold Their Tongues"
Ken Green (Boston, MA) - "The Line"
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "And A Child Shall Lead Them"
Corey Shields (Houston, TX) - "Jody"
DeLane McDuffie (Los Angeles, CA) – “Monomachia”
Reginald T. Jackson (Brooklyn, NY) - Dee's Dilemma
Dana Clark-Brocks (Dallas, TX) - "Valentine's Day Murder"
2024
Melda Beaty (Chicago, IL) - Guess What's for Dinner
E.J. Batiste (Raeford, NC) - The Word
Alric Davis (Houston, TX) - Buffalo Woman: The Life and Times of Cathay Williams
Krystle Dellihue (Detroit, MI) - Cancel Me
Ken Green (Boston, MA) - I Can Do Evil All by Myself
Dyron Holmes (Brooklyn, NY) - Safe Words
Reginald T. Jackson (Brooklyn, NY) - Dee's Dilemma
Velvia Keithley (Huntsville, TX) - You Put Me in the Mind of…
Joe Lewis (Silver Spring, MD) - Redemption
Lesley Ukaegbu (Las Vegas, NV) - All is Fair
2023
Larissa Brewington (Phoenix, AZ) - "micro"
Charlett Bundy (Annapolis, MD) - "No, He Can't Sit Down!"
Charity Clark-Anderson (Southfield, MI) - "Mama's Breath"
Robert T. Fields (Richmond, CA) - "Keeper"
Mildred Inez Lewis (Los Angeles, CA) - "Louisiana Shoal"
Marita A. McKee (Pensacola, FL) - "In Passing"
Lorna Taylor (Houston, TX) - "Just Like Family"
Harold JAY Trotter (Houston, TX) - "Unconditional"
Vincent Victoria (Houston, TX) - "The New Girl"
Curtis Von (Houston, TX) - "The Dilemma"
2022
April Amara (College Park, MD) – “Dinner with a View”
Calley N. Anderson (Brooklyn, NY) – “Performative”
Leslie Dianne (New York City, NY) – “Forget Me Not”
Krystle Dellihue (Wayne, MI) – “Hattie (A Set at the Table)”
Eric C. Jones (Houston, TX) – “Going Up!”
Nattalie Gordon (Fayetteville, GA) – “Hey, Best Friend!”
Joe A. Lewis (Silver Spring, MD) – “Forbidden Places”
DeLane McDuffie (Los Angeles, CA) – “Monomachia”
Corey Shields (Houston, TX) – “Busted”
Christian Wilburn (San Francisco, CA) – “White Card”
2021 - COVID (No Shows)
2020
Toccara Castleman (Brooklyn, NY) - "Escaping Inward"
Marcus Colon (Fort Myers, FL) - "Home Life"
Jeremy Holloway (Cordova, TN) - "BlackHeaven"
DeLane McDuffie (Los Angeles, CA) - "Cop and Fiske"
Russell Nichols (Vallejo, CA) - "Invisibility"
Patrina Randolph (Houston, TX) - "Controlled Substance"
Crystal Rae (Houston, TX) - "Raising Solomon"
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "Jesus, The Good Time Charlie"
Clinnesha D. Sibley (McComb, MS) - "The Cleaning Ladies"
Rukiya Varner (Virginia Beach, VA) - "Yellow Lilies"
2020
Toccara Castleman (Brooklyn, NY) - "Escaping Inward"
Marcus Colon (Fort Myers, FL) - "Home Life"
Jeremy Holloway (Cordova, TN) - "BlackHeaven"
DeLane McDuffie (Los Angeles, CA) - "Cop and Fiske"
Russell Nichols (Vallejo, CA) - "Invisibility"
Patrina Randolph (Houston, TX) - "Controlled Substance"
Crystal Rae (Houston, TX) - "Raising Solomon"
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "Jesus, The Good Time Charlie"
Clinnesha D. Sibley (McComb, MS) - "The Cleaning Ladies"
Rukiya Varner (Virginia Beach, VA) - "Yellow Lilies"
2019
Simone Black (St. Albans, NY) - "From This Moment On"
Sharai Bohannon (Chicago, IL) - "Well That Just Happened"
Zachariah Ezer (Brooklyn, NY) - "Time To A Phantom"
Ken Green (Boston, MA) - "The Line"
Reginald C. Jackson (Chicago, IL) - "Convictions"
Darien Mitchell (Washington, DC) - "Aggression"
Lewis Morrow (Kansas City, KS) - "Ain't Dirt on Your Hands"
Renée Nixon (Durham, NC) - "Dazed and Stunned"
Alan Sharpe (Washington, DC) - "Bedtime Story"
Corey Shields (Houston, TX) - "Jody"
2018
Calley Anderson (New York, NY) - "Trick or Treat?"
Yunina Barbour-Payne (Houston, TX) - "Tobacco Fields"
Maya Critchlow (Houston, TX) - "What About Tomorrow?"
Vincent Terrell Durham (Van Nuys, CA) - "Home For The Holidays With
The Lord"
Peter Fields (Kent, OH) - "The Visit"
Ken Green (Boston, MA) - "The Campaign"
Lionell A. Hilliard (Houston, TX) - "Is Orange the New Black?"
Eric C. Jones (Houston, TX) - "War Letters"
Brandon Riley (Tempe, AZ) - "Easy As Pie"
T J Young (Pittsburgh, PA) - "Before The Fire"
2017
Markietha Ka'Von Singleton, (Chicago, IL) - "Blithe Taste"
Finalists:
Chuck Cummings, (S. Pasadena, CA) - "Rest In Peace"
Rachel Dickson, (Houston, TX) - "To Each His Own"
Timothy Eric (Houston, TX) - "Switchback"
Evonne Fields-Gould (Kent, OH) - "Life, Love, & Boobs"
Markietha Ka'Von Singleton, (Chicago, IL) - "Blithe Taste"
Joe A. Lewis, (Silver Spring, MD) - "Dream"
Asia Nichols, (Vallejo, CA) - "Incredible Darling"
Dana Stringer, (Atlanta, GA) - "Ms. Frankie Lee"
Lorna Taylor (Houston, TX) - "What Is Greater Than Fear"
A'ndrea J. Wilson, (Soperton, GA) - "On Da Rooftop"
2016
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "And A Child Shall Lead Them"
Finalists
Tina Burnside (Minneapolis, MN) - "Just A Rope?"
Kim El (Pittsburgh, PA) - "Of Nine Tales"
Joe A. Lewis (Silver Spring, MD) - "Greater Good"
Russell Nichols (Vallejo, CA) - "There Once Was A Jack In The Box: A Mad Scientist's Lament"
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "And A Child Shall Lead Them"
Anthony Roberts (Brooklyn, NY) - "The Kiss of Auset"
Stacey Rose (Bronx, NY) - "Summer '89: Prelude"
Dana Stringer (Atlanta, GA) - "Looter"
Caron Tate (Los Angeles, CA) - "Spellcheck"
Marlow Wyatt, (Los Angeles, CA) - "Sweetie's Confession"
2015
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX), "The Vessel By Which"
Finalists:
Melanie E. Burke (Houston, TX) - "In The Still of the Night"
Dana Clark-Brocks (Dallas, TX) - "Valentine's Day Murder"
Chuck Cummings (S. Pasadena, CA) - "Edmonia's Marble"
Kelvin Douglas (Houston, TX) - "Driving Miss Crazy"
Ken Green (Boston, MA) - "State"
Ron Jones, Jr. (Round Rock, TX) - "Unsolicited Material"
Thomas Meloncon (Houston, TX) - "Color Blind"
Angela Y. Rice (Houston, TX) - "The Vessel by Which"
Dana Stringer (Atlanta, GA) - "Colored In Winter"
Travis Tate (Austin, TX) - "Whipped"
2014
Melanie E. Burke (Houston, TX), "Saving Grace"
Finalists:
Melanie E. Burke (Houston, TX) - "Saving Grace"
James Earl Hardy (New York, NY) - "A Kiss is Just a Kiss"
Juanita Harvey (Philadelphia, PA) - "Long Distance Love"
Lou Johnson (Nashville, TN) - "The Lepers of Orchard Park"
Michelle T Johnson (Kansas City, KS) - "Olivia's Little Patch of Snow"
Aaron McDavis (Rowlett, TX) - "A Psycho's Path"
Barbara & Carlton Molette (Atlanta, GA) - "Kin Ship"
Aurin Squire (Brooklyn, NY) - Morehouse Men"
Dana Stringer (Atlanta, GA) - "Costume Waver"
Stacey Rose (Bronx NY) - "My Pet"
2013
Angela Batravil (Los Angeles, CA) - "Venus and Mars - Date Night"
Finalists:
Angela Batravil (Los Angeles, CA) - "Venus and Mars - Date Night"
Rachel DuBose (Evanston, IL) - "Lonely Hearts"
Peter Anthony Fields" (Kent, OH) - "Burden"
Kevin R. Free (New York, NY) - "Portal, or Metaphorical Tricycle"
Michelle T. Johnson (Kansas City, KS) - "A Rebecca By Any Other Name Is Still A Becky"
Eric C. Jones (Houston, TX) - "American Rifle"
Nate Jones & Tynesha Clark (Houston, TX) - "A Sunny Day In Chicago"
Alonzo D LaMont, Jr. (Baltimore, MD.) - "Cultural Diversity Ate My Lunch"
Barbara & Carlton Molette (Atlanta, GA) - "Last Supper"
Carol Roper (Imperial Beach, CA) - "Airport Diner"
Past Winners - Reading Series
2025
"Welcome Home" by David J. Crawford (Los Angeles, CA)
"The Girl in the Purple Dress" by Damian A. Hawkins (Deerfield Beach, FL)
"The Blind Thief" by Kwik Jones (Portland, OR)
"Use as Directed" by DeLane McDuffie (Los Angeles, CA)
Gravity by Steve Lang Lee (Washington, DC)
Revolution – Written by Shauna Proctor (Houston, TX)
McNally’s Alley – Written by Ivy Staten-Minor (Philadelphia PA)
Choice – Written by Allison Whittenberg (Philadelphia PA)
2024
"Pocketbook" by Cris Eli Blak (Houston, TX)
"Wash and Go" by Nana Konadu Cann (Princeton, NJ)
"Rosemary and Timon" by Gregory S. Carr (St. Louis, MO)
"Match Point" by Krystle Dellihue (Detroit, MI)
"The (W)Hole Inside" by Velvia Keithley (Huntsville, TX)
"I’m Here to Pick Up Monica" by Carlton Molette (Atlanta, GA)
"Double Standard" by Kimberly Ridgeway (Hayward, CA)
"Voting While Negro" by Toma Lynn Smith (Chicago, IL)
2023
"WHAT B#%CH?", by Simone Black (St. Albans, NY)
"Measure of a Man", by India Nicole Burton (Chicago, IL)
"OBG: Only Black Guy", by Reginald C. Jackson (Chicago, IL)
"Darth and Luke", by Christian St. Croix (San Diego, CA)
"How Do You Plead?", by Tiffany Parks (Atlanta, GA)
"Ivory", by Sarah-Faith Osman (New York, NY)
"Rite of Passage", by Devin Porter (El Paso, TX)
"Rogues", by Brandy Victoria Durham (Silver Spring, MD)
"You Leaving Again, Ain't You?", by Sharon Lovell (Pittsburgh, PA)
"Aim & Profile", by Aladrian Wetzel (Bel Air, MD)
2020
"A Patriot's Place", by Brittani Samuel (Baldwin, NY)
"All of Me", by Joe Lewis (Silver Spring, MA)
"Bad", by Prince Duren (Byram, MS)
"Don't Touch My Hair", Sean Johnson (Houston, TX)
"It Makes a Difference", by Robert Fields (Richmond, CA)
"Loyal Side Chick", by Fred Roberts (New Orleans, LA)
"Makin' Bond", by Lou Johnson (Nashville, TN)
"They Say", by Jonathan Johnson (Westland, MI)
"United Separatism", by Ada Alozie (Chicago, IL)
2019
"To Be Black in America, Woof, Woof", by Reginald Baril (Miami, FL)
"Salt"', by Tramaine Brathwaite, (Atlanta, GA)
"Never Roger", by Trevor Davis, (Huntington, NY)
"The Absolved Exoneration", by Kelvin Douglas (Houston, TX)
"Amazin' Jason", by Brittany S. Harris (Norfolk, VA)
"Uncle Tom's Hangar, by Russell Nichols (Vallejo, CA)
"Eternal Flame", by Melanie Payne (Ft. Meyers, FL)
"Truth Hurts", by Cory Shields (Houston, TX)
"Sell Out", by Breana C. Venable (Charlotte, NC)
2018
"Enigma", by Tramaine Brathwaite (Atlanta, GA)
"Harlem Strides", by Domonique Champion (Houston, TX)
"Final Verdict", by Fabiola R. Decius (Hyde Park, MA)
"Captain Samaritan: The Battle of Negrophobia", by Jeremy Holloway (Cordova, TN)
"The Dean's Office", Joyce Lee (Los Angeles, CA)
"Red Letter Day", by Russell Nichols (Richmond, CA)
"Line Dry", by Royal Shiree (Lynchburg, VA)
"Color of Pain", by Erika Walton (Houston, TX)
2017
"Cops Lives Matter", Ishmon Brown, (New York, NY)
"Garage Invasion", Rex McGregor, (Auckland, New Zealand)
"Carry Yourself With The Confidence", Philana Omorotionmwan (Athens, OH)
"Baby Names", Alex Pendleton, (Huntington, NY)
"What Goes On In Counseling", Fred Roberts, (New Orleans, LA)
"Thorns", Clinnesha B. Sibley, (North Charleston, SC)
"Perceptions", Barbara Starkes, (Houston, TX)
'Make Good", Josiah Turner, (Stevens Point, WI)
"In Your Hands", LaDarrion Williams, (Hollywood, CA)
2016
"Taken", Larissa Brewington, (Phoenix, AZ)
"Anxiety", Pat Crews, (Accokeek, MD)
"NOW", Vincent Terrell Durham, (Hollywood, CA)
"Less Than A Fairytale", Cynthia Hardeman, (Kansas City, MO)
"Jamestown", Cleo House Jr., (Atlanta, GA)
"Breaths", Amissa Miller, (Cambridge MA)
"Josephine", Fred Roberts, (New Orleans, LA)
"Engagement(s)", Alan Sharpe, (DC, Washington)
"Name Dropping", Corey Shields, (Houston, TX)