Announcing the Short List of Finalists for the 2025 HoneyBee Prize
May 27, 2025
Huzzah, we’ve finally done it! At long last the team is finished reading and deliberating submissions for the 2025 Honeybee Prize. This included hundreds of stories and essays and over a thousand poems! We’re pleased to report that finalists have been sent to the judges in each of the 5 genres.
And we’re equally as excited to heave a hearty congratulations in the direction of those that made it onto this year’s short list. ↓↓↓
The cure to all the maladies by Jonathan Greenhause Red and Yellow Light over the Top of Houses by Dolapo Demuren Every Room is a Sonnet by Dolapo Demuren Drowned Crawdads by Sara Shea The Year I Carried You by Sara Shea Wedged Together We Are Flying by Reva Johnson Silence bears no fruit by Erwin Arroyo Pérez English Is My Second Language by Erwin Arroyo Pérez Yes, she did by Ashlie Hyer Autobiography of a Violin by Cassie Burkhardt Arouse Yourself by Yin Cheng Surely Every Man is Mere Breath by Yin Cheng The Weight of His Chair by Sam Aureli True Apothecary by Ellie Gold Laabs The Widower Writes from the Shipwreck by Ellie Gold Laabs
Before the Everything After by Jaime Gill & Charlie Rogers Solitary Creatures by Jaime Gill & Charlie Rogers Do You by Alison Sanders While Making Out the Lineup for Tomorrow’s 12U Softball Championship Game by Jim Parisi The Summer He left by Alison Sanders Hands by Pam Anderson
The Leftovers by Michelle La Vone Attack by Ginger Tolman Protocols and Such by Camara Garrett I Conjure My Great-Grandmother and Ask for Her Life Story. She Visits My Dreams and Gives Me a Lesson on Revision by Alayna Powell
Theatre of Solace by Nicole Bazemore Peabody by Joe Cappello Mr. Jensen by Madeline Rosales Take Me Through the Finish by Tom Ziemer When Mr. Boppo Joined the Cohort by Sharon Lee Snow
On the Telephone with Mom by Dean Gessie 36 Hours in Lecce by Anne Schuchman The Laundry Hangs at Noon by Ginger Tolman
Stay tuned to learn the results of the contest and who the judges selected as the winners.
If you missed sending work for the prize this year (or even if you didn’t), there’s always another chance just around the next bend. And, we’re always open. Click here to give us a go. ↓↓↓
As a reminder, we nominate for Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best New Poets, Best Small Fictions and… YES we are a paying market! ($60 per piece published in the seasonal issue, $25 per piece published in Micro Monday, $50 for cover art).
Your work will be handled with care and read by at least two (typically three or more) members of our editorial team.
We are offering free subs today and through the end of May…
(Click to access the magic portal)
Why? Because we love spring and we love summer, and we love reading poems and essays and strange stories by wonderful writers, even ones with spiders.
Because we are done reading for this year’s HoneyBee Prize and are anxiously awaiting results from the five judges. And because we don’t want that pesky $3 fee to cause people to hold any grudges.
Too much? OK. Maybe we’re doing it because we can.
Guidelines are available on our submission page and the form to send work is available on Submittable (be sure to select the fee-free option, unless you want to give us moneys, which is OK too).
As a reminder, we nominate for Pushcart, Best of the Net, Best New Poets, Best Small Fictions and… YES we are a paying market! ($60 per piece published in the seasonal issue, $25 per piece published in Micro Monday, $50 for cover art).
Your work will be handled with care and read by at least two (typically three or more) members of our editorial team.
Spring has sprung here in Omaha and, after the last few snow doozies, we (and the trees) are ready. We’re ready for green to take over everything. We’re ready for brilliant pops of yellow, purple, and white to grace every landscape. And we are more than ready to share and celebrate our 5th spring issue!
That’s right, TGLR is officially in its 5th year, and that feels pretty fantastic. Five years of reading and collaboration, learning and growth, and five years of publishing amazing work. This issue is no exception. It’s the picture-perfect example of what we’re all about.
Yes, friends, today is the day! The big reveal of Issue #19. We’re delighted to introduce the pieces and their creators, and to celebrate this bountiful collection…
In the short creative nonfiction space, we’re honored to feature two pieces centered around one of the most difficult circumstances any person will face in their lifetime: the loss of a parent.
“You Come Now You Leave Now” by Ramona Emerson deftly captures who her father was as an individual by exploring both old and new memories. As these are weaved together seamlessly, they also reveal what she has learned about herself and about grief. From vertiginous to euphoric, she shows grief’s many manifestations and how it “rearranges us.”
Siobhan Ring’s essay, “Space / Time,” begins with an unexpected trip across the country and continues through each phase of her journey as she attempts to be with, and care for, her dying mother during the pandemic. Ring pulls from her family history to tether two stories that show that no matter the time or the space, losing a family member truly means, “nothing will ever be the same.”
In flash creative nonfiction, Allison Hughes explores a different kind of pain in her essay “I Am a Body Lying in the Grass.” It’s the loss of love and hope for a budding relationship that she brings to light in this brief, poignant piece.
Our second essay in this genre isn’t just a refreshing take on body image, but a commentary on how women are expected to feel shame or hide their shapely figures. “I like when my ass hangs out of my shorts” by Rose Marie Torres leads with sass and confidence and we love it!
In flash fiction we’ve got three unique stories that are sure to elicit emotional reactions. “The Next Empty Cup” by Myna Chang, might make you smile through the sadness. “Flying Fish” by Corinne Harrison is likely to leave you shaking your head and then nodding in agreement with what isn’t said. And we challenge you to take a crack at the “Taco Bell Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire” by Susan L. Lin and not laugh or see yourself in the questions. Bonus points if you can correctly calculate the answer to question 15, in “Section IV: The “Are You a Robot?” Math Section.”
Two “must read” pieces for this issue are the short fiction stories which are different in just about every way except for their superb writing and surprise endings.
“Tbilisi” by Sara Maria Hasbun is sharp, interesting story that is relevant to present day social and political dilemmas. Tension in this piece builds with each scene and interaction as it speeds toward a conclusion you won’t see coming.
By contrast Marilee Dahlman’s piece, “Mall Goddess,” transports the reader back to the late 80’s and early 90’s when shopping mall culture in the Midwest was at its peak. She captures the vibe and downfall of this era perfectly as the story of Kylie’s lifelong love/obsession for Justin unfolds.
In our last release we mentioned that it’s becoming more of a challenge with each issue to make decisions because we have so much excellent work coming our way. This remains true with this issue so instead of bringing you five or six, we’ve got eight poems by these seven authors: Chris Lisieski, Ezra Fox, Pamilerin Jacob, Keira Deer, Alicia Elkort, Alex Dodt, and Katharine Jager. Each poem is a heavy hitter worth spending time with.
Rounding out the issue, there’s a full complement of artwork. We’re pleased to showcase “Natural Hue” by Sarah Kohrs on the cover and for the first time, several of the artwork pieces featured in the issue were provided by writer featured in a previous issue, Ellen June Wright. Also included are pieces by Kim McNealy Sosin, Sholanke Boluwatife Emmanuel, Ferris Jones, Erin Song, Pieter Janaldo, Mostafa Meraji, Albert Stoynov, Juan Burgos, Raymond Kotewicz, and Luke Chesser. More about each artist and their work is available on the artwork page. And the entire issue is also available in full-spread PDF format to read, download, or print and save forever.
With that, we are ready for Issue #19 ~ Spring 2025 to run wild all over the interwebs! Thank you for visiting, reading, supporting independent journals, and believing in the arts!
Cheers to Strawberries ‘n’ Whiped Cream, ~Shyla, Tacheny, and All of The Good Life Review Team
Issue #19 Editorial Team: Cat Dixon, Michelle Battle, Cid Galicia, Terry Belew, Stepha Vesper, Tana Buoy, Patrick O’Dell, Tacheny Perry, Ashley Espinoza, M.A. Boswell, David Mainelli, Ciara Hoff, Annie Barker, Debra Rose Brillati, Erin Challenor, and Shyla Shehan
Issue #19 Readers: Kim Louise, Amy Crawford, Jamie Wendt, Jill Veltkamp, Toni Allen, Zach Vesper, Madeline Torbenson, Julie Labuszewski, Amanda DeMel, Arianna Ashby, Ashley DeVrieze, and Miranda Jansen.
The weather has finally taken a turn and we’ve officially tumbled into Autumn here in Omaha. It feels silly that the signature seasonal flavor, pumpkin spice, has been promoted so much since early August that it’s exhausted its reach and we are just now getting into Fall. Before you know it, the posters touting apple and pumpkin drinks will be swapped for peppermint and mocha. But we’re here to hold onto the spice of this season for as long as we possibly can. And what better way to do that than with the announcement of our latest issue, one of the largest to date!
Yes, friends, today is the day! The big reveal of our Autumn edition. It’s always a delight to introduce the authors and artists we meet through the publication process, but it’s especially wonderful when the people are as kind and helpful as this bunch. We’re honored to promote them and this bountiful collection of amazing work.
We’re excited to share poems by Carey Salerno, Marina Cooper, Karissa Ho, Nwodo Chukwu Divine, Chase Dimock, and William Bonfiglio, whose poem marks his second appearance at TGLR.
In creative nonfiction, there are flash pieces by Kiana Govoni and Michaela Evanow and two longer essays by Kathryn O’Day and Daniela Garvue. And because it is getting harder and harder to turn excellent work away, we could not resist accepting the six fiction pieces that are included in the virtual pages of this issue – flash by Rory O’Neill, Andrea Villa Franco, Amanda Siri Hill, and short fiction by Mychal Hope, Deidre Jaye Byrne, and Corrina Chan.
But of course, the issue would not be complete without a full complement of artwork. We’re pleased to showcase “Kunik” by Hiokit Lao on the cover and for the first time, several of the artwork pieces featured in the issue were provided by one of the contributing poets, Karissa Ho.
Rounding out the artwork, we have pieces by Cynthia Yatchman, John Widdowson, Rovaida Saleh, Britnie Walston, Lizzie Falvey, and Audrey Larson. More about each artist and their work is available on the Issue 17 Art page.
With that, we are delighted to release Issue #17 ~ Autumn 2024 into the wild!
As always, thank you for visiting, reading, supporting independent journals, and believing in the arts!
Cheers to Hot Cider and Toasty Marshmallows, ~Shyla, Tacheny, and The Good Life Review Team
Issue #17 Editorial Team: Tana Buoy, Tacheny Perry, Patrick O’Dell, Ashley Espinoza, M.A. Boswell, Carina Faz, David Mainelli, Ciara Hoff, Debra Rose Brillati, Annie Barker, Erin Challenor, Julia Sample, Terry Belew, Cid Galicia, Cat Dixon, Michelle Battle, Stepha Vesper, and Shyla Shehan.
Introducing Issue #16 ~ Summer 2024, The Honeybee Prize Edition
July 30, 2024
“Haley and Celeste” by Cameron Shipley
Dear Friends and Readers,
Today’s the day!… The big reveal of our summer issue!! It is truly an honor to finally introduce the authors and artists we have been working with over the past several months to bring this amazing collection of work to fruition. It is, in large part, what makes the magazine so fulfilling and worthwhile.
By the time we get to this point, we’ve become deeply familiar with the nuances, voice, and brilliance in all the pieces and are brimming with excitement to share and celebrate!
This is our 16th issue which includes the results of our 4th annual Honeybee Prize. We want to express our gratitude to the judges – Juliana Lamy, Teri Youmans, and Nebraska State Poet, Matt Mason – for selecting the winners and runners-up for this year’s contest. All three were wonderful to work with, generous with their time, and thoughtful in their endorsements.
Of course, the soul of this collection began in the hearts and minds of the authors who were willing to trust us with their words. Without their drive, imagination, and passion for writing, we would not have such amazing poems and stories to offer. This issue features eleven outstanding pieces from the following writers: Genevieve N. Williams, Olivia Torres, Molly Sturdevant, Jamie L. Smith, Ryan Mattern, Jaime Gill, Kelsey Ferrell, Anne Falkowski, Frankie Concepcion, Randy Bynum, and Megan Monforte. More about the winners – Frankie Concepcion, Jaime Gill, and Randy Bynum – including an endorsement for each is available in our 2024 Honeybee Prize Announcement.
Our list of talented creators does not end there, though. This issue also includes some incredible artwork by several artists: Cameron Shipley, Sharon Reeber, Olude Peter Sunday, Muhammad Ashraf, Emily Rankin, Matthew Fertel, and Beth Horton. These pieces were selected because of their style, use of color, and texture, and also because of how their work visually complements the writing in the issue. More about these artists is available on our Issue 16 Artwork page.
As always, thank you for visiting, reading, supporting independent journals, and believing in the arts.
Cheers to Shade Trees and Honeybees, ~Shyla, Tacheny, and The Good Life Review Team ❀
Issue #16 Editorial Team: Tana Buoy, Tacheny Perry, Joel Clay, Ashley Espinoza, M.A. Boswell, Carina Faz, David Mainelli, Ciara Hoff, Debra Rose Brillati, Annie Barker, Terry Belew, Cid Galicia, Cat Dixon, Michelle Battle, and Shyla Shehan
Issue #16 Readers: Christine Nessler, Patrick O’Dell, Amy Crawford, Julia Sample, Erin Challenor, Madeline Torbenson, Jamie Wendt, Gina Wagner, Lea Pounds, Chad Christensen, Jill Veltkamp, and Toni Allen
The Good Life Review: 2024 Honeybee Prize Winners Revealed
June 20, 2024
Hello friends and welcome to summer. This spring has been pretty rough for many people living in the Midwest. Terrible storms with tornados, damaging hail, and torrential rains have ravaged cities, homes, and farmsteads on a weekly basis and left many people who are already struggling with more challenges and uncertainty. Now, it seems, the storms have been replaced by soaring temperatures. We hope that there will be end to the drastic weather soon, to allow some breathing room for people to recover.
For us at TGLR, summer means celebrating the highly anticipated results of our annual contest, the Honeybee Prize. For those new to TGLR, this is the 4th year we’ve run the contest and 100% of the funds received from submission fees are used to pay contributing writers and artists. So a huge THANK YOU is due to all who participated!!
It was difficult to narrow down all the incredible work we received to just a handful of finalists (short list available here). We recognize that the judges –Matt Mason (Poetry), Juliana Lamy (Fiction), and Teri Youmans (Creative Nonfiction) – had their work cut out for them in selecting the winners and runners-up from a rockstar lineup and are grateful for their time and for being so wonderful to work with.
We’re delighted to present this year’s winners!
Winner:
Jaime Gill for “Things To Talk To Jim About”
Here’s what Juliana Lamy had to say about “Things to Talk To Jim About”:
This stunning story is a brief masterclass in pacing and natural characterization. Each event occurs precisely when it means to, each character emerges with their own network of faults and feelings intact. The revelations in this piece feel inevitable, yet strike with the oblique, off-center shock of the surprising. There are beautiful moments of language here that, at certain points, seem to be all that stands between the reader and an emotional totaling.
First Runner-Up:
Ryan Matternfor “Veer”
Winner:
Randy Bynum for “Electric Eclectic Strong”
Here’s what Matt Mason had to say about “Electric Eclectic Strong”:
This poem is a beautiful celebration of music and radio. With great use of sound and language (musically put together!), it deals with frustrations that music can’t eliminate but can give a respite from so that we can gather ourselves back together and be able to deal with the madnesses of the world. With a conversational style, it draws you in like a friend’s voice and holds you to the last, gorgeous lines.
First Runner-Up:
Genevieve N. Williams for “A Beginners Guide to Yoga”
Winner:
Frankie Concepcionfor “Origin Stories”
Here’s what Teri Youmans had to say about “Origin Stories”:
What I loved about “Origin Stories” is that it revolves around a particular experience of childhood, but through that experience the writer effortlessly explores relationships with beauty, with the maternal, with spirits, with fear, with longing and inheritance. I also appreciated the strong sense of physical place in the story, but even more so, the child struggling to understand her place in that world. All of this happens as an unfolding, rather than a forcing.
I felt the invisible cuts on my skin made by the sharp grasses, the grip of the mother’s too firm a hand and the fearful child’s reckoning with the ways beauty can lead to one’s demise. Each reading brought new pleasures.
First Runner-Up:
Kelsey Ferrellfor “Eloise”
Honorable Mentions Based on Editor Selections:
“Echocardiogram” by Olivia Torres (Fiction) “How to Be Made by Men, 1981” by Anne Falkowski (Creative Nonfiction) “Night Sweats” by Molly Sturdevant (Poetry) “Beacons” by Jamie L. Smith (Poetry)
Our congratulations goes out to all these fine folks for their amazing writing and to the winners for snagging those beautiful jars of honey!
We’re not done yet, though!! The best is yet to come as all of these award winning pieces will appear in our summer issue. It’s gonna be so, so good… we can’t wait to share it with you.
Spring arrived early in Omaha this year and we are already enjoying the wonderful pops of color from crocus, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinth. Everything turning green again means it’s time to reveal our Spring Issue!
We are thrilled to introduce this bold collection of poetry, prose, and art by fourteen amazing writers and six talented artists. Part of our mission is to champion and celebrate writing that reveals the complexities in life – that which might otherwise be overlooked and this issue does exactly that. These pieces are evocative, engaging, and vulnerable. Each was selected by our team of 23 editors and readers who came together in collaboration to bring you the very best!
We’re grateful for all the writers who sent us their stories, essays, and poems and recognize that our organization could not exist without their passion for creating and their courage to share. We’re eager to showcase their pieces and the striking artwork selected to compliment each. We highly recommend looking at the full-spread issue in PDF format downloadable here or from our home page.
With this issue, we have crossed the threshold into our fifth full year of operations and are excited to continue working toward establishing TGLR as a recognizable name in the literary community, both locally and nationally. Our team continues to grow each season and we’ve got plans to increase our visibility and exposure and widen our reach for both our contributors and our readers.
More on that coming soon. So without further ado, we bring you Issue #15 ~ Spring 2024! And stay tuned for some fabulous interviews with our contributing writers compliments of Q&A Editor, Christine Nessler.
As always, thank you, dear reader, for visiting, supporting independent journals, and believing in the literary arts.
With Peace, Love, and Strawberry Pie,
~Shyla Shehan, Tacheny Perry, and All of The Good Life Review Team
*** PS *** There are still a few days left to get in on the 2024 HoneyBee Prize. The winner in each of three genres — Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Fiction — will be awarded $500 plus publication in our summer issue (and a jar of honey). More info can be found on our HoneyBee Prize page and the form to submit is on Submittable. The contest closes April 15h.
TGLR #14 ~ Winter 2024 is Hot off the Press and Available Now!
February 7, 2024
Today we are super excited to share that Issue #14 ~ Winter 2024: Best off TGLR is hot of the actual press and available NOW! We’re also on our way to AWP and thrilled to be showcasing this collection of amazing work!
This winter marks the four year anniversary of the inception of TGLR and the perfect time for looking back at the journey and celebrating all the fabulous people we’ve met along the way.
Working on this passion project, we have learned a great deal, met many talented writers and artists, and gained a deeper appreciation for the process. Each submission is far greater than a manuscript to consider. It is an exploration of our environment and culture and a reflection of how we see ourselves and our relationships within the ecosystems that surround us. These reflections take many forms and are often raw and vulnerable but the unifying characteristic among them is the artist’s desire to create and connect. This yearning is inherent and when we share it’s worthy of conversation and celebration. In this we are connected.
Since the first issue of the journal in 2020, our team has also grown from the original 15 co-founding editors to what is now a team of 25 volunteers. Without them, the journal would simply not exist. And though change is inevitable and some have moved on, each new person brings their own unique perspective and energy to who “we” are as a collective and are a big part of why we’ve been able to stick to our mission and vision and persevere.
As always, the full winter issue is also available to read and share from our home page. If you are on your way to Kansas City, come visit with us at the AWP book fair, table 913, and purchase a hard copy. Or, if you’re not able to make it to AWP and but still want to purchase a copy, please send an email to editors <at> thegoodlifereview <dot> com.
On behalf of our entire team, we thank you for visiting, reading, and supporting the arts!
Today we are honored to present the wonderful work of a truly stellar line-up of authors and artists in our latest release, Issue #13 ~ Autumn 2023.
We’re grateful for all the writers who sent us their stories, essays, and poems and recognize that our organization could not exist without their passion for creating and their courage to share.We’re eager to showcase and celebrate the twelve pieces included in this issue as well as artwork from a number of talented artists. A little bit about each can be found in the editor’s note.
This note also very briefly touches on an idea we are taking for a spin for our Winter issue – Our first ever “Best Of” anthology! We’ve got exciting plans brewing for 2024 and this anthology is just the start. Here are a few other noteworthy items:
We are increasing payment again this year and as of the Spring issue, we will be offering contributing authors $75 per piece ($100 for two). The submission window is open now if you want a chance to get in on this action.
We’ll also now be offering payment of $50 for artists whose work is used on the cover of our seasonal issues.
We’re in the throws of securing judges for our 2024 HoneyBee Prize. That opportunity will open on November 15th.
Plans for the 2024 AWP writer’s conference are coming together, including a party and reading co-hosted with world renowned independent publisher, Red Hen Press.
More about all of this coming soon.
In the meantime, we hope you will dive into all this issue has to offer and stay tuned for more feels and goodies from our Autumn contributors compliments of Christine Nessler’s, Author Q&A.
On behalf of our entire team, we thank you for visiting, reading, and supporting the arts!
It’s August. It’s hot. It’s muggy AF. But the trees are in full sway and today we are thrilled to announce the release of Issue #12 ~ The Honeybee Prize issue.
If you ever wondered what kind of village it takes to raise a little lit mag (or what’s up with that Joan Jett reference), the accompanying editor’s note for this issue does a pretty good job laying it all out. And if you’re curious just where to “dive in” to this latest issue, we’d definitely recommend checking out the artwork page first and then heading straight for Birds of Prey by Tiffany Promise. Her piece was selected as the winner of this year’s Honeybee Prize in Fiction by the one and only Roxane Gay!
After that, you can easily swim in any direction and find more fantastic stories and poems by other contributors to this delightful issue including two poems by Nebraska State Poet, Matt Mason PLUS writing from all the other winners and runners-up of this year’s contest. And be sure not to click away before you read the quirky-fun stage play, Purg City, by Milton Joseph or Ixim – a translation of Isabel Pascual Andrés’s poetry by Kiran Baht.
As we celebrate the “big reveal” of this issue, it’s also an opportune time to express how grateful we are to the writers and artists who trust us with their work as well as everyone who is tuned in to support our efforts here at TGLR.
On behalf of our entire team, we thank you for visiting, reading, and taking your time to dance with us!
