White Elephant Contest Wrap Up, featuring Bryanna Licciardi

Well, we've wrapped up our White Elephant Contest, folks. I know many of you are probably thinking: finally! And you'd be right. We totally overestimated our ability to give feedback, pick a winner, assemble a killer swag bag, and create this post quickly. Next time, we'll be sure to factor more time in so we don't make all you wonderful poets wait any longer than strictly necessary. Part of the amount of time it took to get back to everyone had to do with the sheer amount of poetry we received.  It was amazing. We really enjoyed reading each and every one of your poems, AND the amount of positive feedback we've received in response to sending you our thoughts has been so encouraging. We hope everyone has received feedback that's helpful to them in revision. We're happy to discuss if anyone has questions. 

Out of all the poetry that we read, of course there had to be a winner. And it wasn't an easy pick, either. But after lots of discussion, we found our winner. Congratulations to Bryanna Licciardi! Her poem "MY STEPDAD WILLY INTERRUPTS MY BROTHER’S STORY ABOUT CATCHING SOME TEENAGER SHOE THIEVES TO TELL US ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS THIRTEEN" is the winner of the White Elephant Contest.  We chose it for its ability to weave narrative, imagery, and a complex point of view into a family's world. We love that it brings so much depth to the table in such a short, concise form.

Here it is: 

MY STEPDAD WILLY INTERRUPTS MY BROTHER’S STORY ABOUT CATCHING SOME TEENAGER SHOE THIEVES TO TELL US ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS THIRTEEN

Willy’s mom had run away, again, leaving him to take 

care of his four siblings, again. Willy says he tried 

to sneak out of the market with a can of green beans, 

when a cashier grabbed him at the door and dragged 

him towards the line of people waiting with their carts. 

The lady hollered about him being a good-for-shit thief 

and dug into his coat. Willy says the worst part wasn’t 

everyone watching, or of being caught, but the cashier’s 

eyes when she saw the beans. The way her face melted, 

how she tried to give it back to him. But Willy wouldn’t 

take it that way and hurled it at the floor before he ran off, 

regretting this only after making it home—the giving back 

the can, not the stealing. He makes sure to clarify this.

Thanks once again to everyone who submitted! Floodmark has more great things coming down the pipe, so be sure to check back to the site and keep an eye out for our email newsletter, which is launching in the beginning of August. Stay tuned for our next contest! Happy writing!