Tag: best of the net

Hello friends. We’re behind on announcing this year’s nominations, but not to worry, they were sent in well before the September 30th deadline (or perhaps just a smidge before). In any case, it’s never too late to celebrate!

For those who don’t know, Best of the Net is an annual contest operated by Sundress Publications that is designed to elevate a growing collection of writers and publishers who are opening the door to transformation through writing and art online. More about the contest can be found here.

If the cover art on that page looks familiar, it’s because it’s a piece of artwork we nominated last year, by Hiokit Lao. Amazing, right?!

We also had a poem selected as a finalist: what to make of autism by Tim Raymond

This year we are pleased to nominate two creative nonfiction essays, two fiction stories, six poems, and three pieces of art published between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2026…

Creative Nonfiction:
A Baby Named Freedom by Annie Rachele Lanzillotto
my mother says she wants to go out tonight by Camila Cal Mello

Fiction:
Palimpsest by JakeBienvenue
Layover by Simon Ashton

Poetry:
Arouse Yourself, why do You sleep, O LORD? by Yin Cheng
Low-key Midwest Girl Dad Vibes: My Wardrobe is Mostly Kohl’s Middle-Class Casual & My Skin Care Routine is $1.59 Men’s 2-in-1 Total Body Wash by Bob King
Letter I Wish My Mother Wrote from Virginia by Daniel Lurie
The cure to all the maladies that ail us by Jonathan Greenhause
The Softness I Owe by Joemario Umana
True Apothecary by Ellie Gold Laabs

Artwork:
The End Does Not End You by Antonio Garcia III
Zephyr by Mary Amato
Neverending by Maia Brown-Jackson

We’re grateful to all of our contributors and want to wish a hearty congratulations to these fine writers and artists for being the best of our best.

Good luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
Shyla, MA, Annie, & The Good Life Review Team

Hello friends. Fall has arrived here in Omaha and the cooler weather means it’s nom-nom-nomination season again. Today, we’re thrilled to kick off this gourmet meal with a healthy dish of Best of the Net Noms!

For those who don’t know, Best of the Net is an annual contest operated by Sundress Publications that is designed to elevate and celebrate a growing collection of writers and publishers who are opening the door to transformation through writing and art online. More about the contest can be found here.

This year we are pleased to nominate two creative nonfiction essays, two fiction stories, six poems, and three pieces of art published between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

• Creative Nonfiction
  • My Mother, the Story-Weaver by Kiana Govoni (Issue #17)
  • The Crush of Dusk by  Michaela Evanow (Issue #17)
• Fiction
  • Tbilisi by Sara Maria Hasbun (Issue #19)
  • Babygirl by Mychal Hope (Issue #17)
• Poetry
  • what to make of autism by Tim Raymond (a Micro Monday Feature)
  • Don’t Ask Me About the Hymns by Ezra Fox (Issue #19)
  • In Defense of Liquor by Pamilerin Jacob (Issue #19)
  • Ode to the Wet Towel on the Floor by Alicia Elkort (Issue #19)
  • Night Sweats by Molly Sturdevant (Issue #16)
  • ephemera 31 by Chris Lisieski (Issue #19)
• Artwork
  • “Kunik” by Hiokit Lao (Issue #17 cover)
  • “Impressions of Waking Cranes” by Kim McNealy Sosin (Issue #19 interior art)
  • “Haley and Celeste” by Cameron Shipley (Issue #16 cover)

We’re grateful to all of our contributors and want to wish a hearty congratulations to these fine writers and artists for being the best of our best.

Good luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
Shyla, Tacheny, & The Good Life Review Team

Hello friends. Despite being more than a few days late with this announcement, we are thrilled to reveal this year’s nominations for Best of the Net (which we managed to get submitted just before the clock struck midnight on September 30th).

For those who don’t know, Best of the Net is an annual contest operated by Sundress Publications that is designed to elevate and celebrate a growing collection of writers and publishers who are opening the door to transformation through art, online. More about the contest can be found here.

This year we were allowed to nominate two fiction stories, two creative nonfiction essays, six poems, and three pieces of art published between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. For us, this includes work appearing in issue #12, 13, 14, or 15. With that, we’re thrilled to announce the following nominations:

• Fiction
  • Funny by L. L. Babb (Issue #15) ✅
  • Rock, Shore, Thunder by Maria S. Picone (Issue #13)  ✅
• Creative Nonfiction
  • Selfishly, I Planted Flowers by Rachel Sussman (Issue #12)  ✅
  • Life Must Go On by Cynthia Landesberg (Issue #13)  ✅
• Poetry
  • Mosaic by Muiz Ọpẹ́yẹmí Àjàyí (Issue #13) ✅
  • (Non)detrimental Reliance by Esther Ra (Issue #15) ✅
  • Obit by Kait Quinn (Micro Monday)  ✅
  • Why We Cry by Matt Mason (Issue #12) ✅
  • How to Hear God While Making Thanksgiving Dinner by Charlene Pierce (Micro Monday)  ✅
  • Those Who Can’t by Taylor Franson-Thiel (Micro Monday) ✅
• Artwork
  • Earth Angel in Midtown by Sarah Louise Wilson (Issue #12)  ✅
  • “Focus” by K.A. Wesly (Cover issue #14)  ✅
  • “Symphonic Notes I and II” by Devdatta Padekar (Issue #15) ✅

Selecting the best pieces gets tougher each year. We’re grateful to all of our contributors and want to wish a hearty congratulations to these fine writers and artists for being the best of our best.

Good luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
Shyla, Tacheny, & The Good Life Review Team

Hello friends. Despite the “second summer” weather we are having in Nebraska this week, it is September and that means it’s “Best of the Net” season. Once again, we are aware other journals have had their nominations in for a while, but we work well under pressure so deadlines are great. To be fair, the noms were actually submitted yesterday which is two days ahead of when we pulled the trigger last year. That’s progress right?!

For those who don’t know, Best of the Net is an annual contest operated by Sundress Publications that is designed to elevate and celebrate a growing collection of writers and publishers who are opening the door to transformation through art, online. More about the contest can be found here.

This year we were allowed to nominate two fiction stories, two creative nonfiction essays, six poems, and three pieces of art published between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. For us, this includes work appearing in issue #8, 9, 10, or 11. With that, we’re thrilled to announce the following nominations:

• Fiction
  • Where by Rhea Bryce ~ Issue #9 ✅
  • Who Takes the Bus in LA by Marc Eichen ~ Issue #10  ✅
• Creative Nonfiction
  • Backwards and Blind by Helyn Trickey Bradley ~ Issue #8  ✅
  • Iowa Blues, and Greens by Summer Hammond ~ Issue  #10  ✅
• Poetry
  • For Those of Us Forced to Flee by Jane Muschenetz ~ Issue #8 ✅
  • The Wax Poem by Andy Winter ~ Issue #9 ✅
  • This is How the Body Knows by Soon Jones ~ Issue #10  ✅
  • Migrant Wish by Moni Brar ~ Issue #10 ✅
  • Nikah by Sarah Aziz ~ Issue #10  ✅
  • Mugshot by Sara Burge ~ Issue #11 ✅
• Artwork
  • Blooms of Hope by Marco Aversa ~ Issue #9  ✅
  • Scarred Beauty by Gerburg Garmann ~ Issue #10  ✅
  • Ocean of Stillness by Shrishti Tassin ~ Issue #11  ✅

I must say, narrowing this down gets tougher each year. We’re grateful to all of our contributors and want to wish a hearty congratulations to these fine writers and artists for being the best of our best.

Good luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
Shyla Shehan & The Good Life Review Team

Hello friends. Autumn is in the air and that means it’s “Best of the Net” season again. Yes, we are aware that those other journals have already had their nominations in for WEEKS but, here at The Good Life Review, we are seasoned procrastinators!

For those who don’t know, Best of the Net is an annual contest by Sundress Publications designed to elevate and celebrate a growing collection of writers and publishers who are opening the door to transformation through art. More about the contest can be found here.

This year we were allowed to nominate two fiction stories, two creative nonfiction essays, six poems, and three pieces of art published between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. For us, this includes any work appearing in issue #4, 5, 6, or 7. We’re thrilled to announce the following nominations:

• Fiction
  • What the Cherub Saw (Issue #4)
  • The Boundary of Fairyland by Heather Ballmer (Issue #5)
• Creative Nonfiction
  •  Blinding by Ali Bryan  (Issue #4)
  • Nanami in the Blue Dress by Jessica Mendoza (Issue #6)        
• Poetry
  • American Diorama by Naomi Ling (Issue #4)
  • From the Stem by Daniel J Flosi (Issue #4)
  • Summer Elegy II by Todd Robinson (Issue #5)
  • Oath of Assimilation by Soo Yeon Chun (Issue #5)
  • What They Carried With Them by Ellen June Wright (Issue #6)
  • Your Name by Tamara Nasution (Issue #7)
• Artwork
  • Within the Oak by Kate (Junehyo) Choi (Issue #5)
  • Mariafumaca by Bianca Rivetti (Issue #6)
  • Braided Platte by Kim Sosin (Issue #7)

Congratulations to these fine artists and best of luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
The Good Life Review Team

Although we’ve only been on the publication scene for a year, we did not want to miss the opportunity to nominate some amazing pieces by some very talented writers for the 2022 Best of the Net prize.

Best of the Net is an annual contest by Sundress Publications designed to grant a platform to a diverse and growing collection of writers and publishers who are building an online literary landscape. More about the contest can be found here.

This year editors of online journals were allowed to nominate two fiction stories, two creative nonfiction essays, and up to six poems. Pieces published between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 were eligible which for us meant work from our first three issues. We’re thrilled to announce the following nominations:

• Fiction
  • Extra Large for the Lord | By Tomas Baiza (Issue #1)
  • What I Lost in September | By Autumn Bettinger (Issue #3) 
    
• Creative Nonfiction
  • Read Her Lips | By Bryan Starchman (Issue # 3)
  • Cohesion Forces in an Avalanche | By Kathryn Stam (Issue #1)              
• Poetry
  • Waiting to Pee, I Invent My Future | By Emma Bernstein (Issue #3)
  • Twi Phone-ology | By Andrew Geoffrey Kwabena Moss (Issue #3)
  • Uprooting a Tree | By Jamie Wendt (Issue #1)
  • I Check the Moon | By Caleb Nichols (Issue #2)
  • The Man Whose Face Was Stolen | By Clif Mason (Issue #1)
  • Linoleum | By Stelios Mormoris (Issue #2)

Congratulations and best of luck snagging that prize!

Cheers,
The Good Life Review Team