“The Wordclay Single Short Story Contest attracted writers

of all styles and voices from around the world. Selecting

only 15 prose pieces to include in the anthology

among thousands of quality submissions was a huge task.

Eventually, however, we narrowed our pile down to the

stories appearing in this season’s volume of Best Modern

Voices. These stories challenged our expectations and

celebrated the art of short-form writing. Each one crafted its

own unique voice and atmosphere without a single wasted

word. Some were sorrowful, others inventive, while still

others appealed to our deepest sense of human empathy.

But each of them cast its spell, transporting us through time

and space to new realms of the imagination.”

— Joe Kerschbaum and Joel Pierson, Contest Judges