The 2013 Little Bird Winner!

First Place:

"The Room of Pickled Things" by Leslie Greentree

The prompt that started her story: Describe what it feels like to hold your breath for too long. Don't use clichés — describe it like you've never heard before. And three cheers for our runners up:

Runners-up:

"Cola Bottle Light" by Emily Coon

Prompt:

Write a story that is a fictional memoir.

"Broken Dreams" by Susan Bernhard

Prompt:

Use repetition in your writing today. Do it super obviously, like "Airplane airplane airplane."

"How We Remember" by Leah Jane Esau

Prompt:

Write a list of everything you can think of that makes you furious.

"Misdirection" by Nikki Reklitis

Prompt:

Write a scene that takes place on a couch.

"Sacred Garbage" by Adam Giles

Prompt:

Write something that you've written before. Start from scratch - don't look at the original. This will be difficult; do it anyway.

These six pulsating stories are published in this year's Little Bird Stories (Volume 3).

Become a Little Bird Subscriber now - $5 from every subscription goes to the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, to help the real little birds.

To everyone writing with the daily prompts: KEEP GOING!

To everyone who submitted a story to the contest this year: CONGRATULATIONS! See you next year: same time, same place.

Thank you for celebrating short stories with me,