Write Off the Bat! was a two-day, in-person writing marathon that took place at Taghum Hall
on September 23 and 24. Fifteen writers were asked to respond to one of two themes via
fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry series. The judging was blind, meaning that the jurors did
not know who the writers were. Submissions were judged on merit, and on how well the work
addressed the themes of “the power of the small” or “butterfly effect”.

Six Kootenay writers received the nod from the jurors at an awards night on Friday, October 13,
while all who took part were celebrated for their bravery, tenacity, and possibly masochism. It’s
no small thing to sit in a roomful of writers for two whole days staring at a laptop screen while
you mine your creative depths!

Below are the winners, some of whom have agreed to let us put their work on our website for a
limited time, so you can get a sampling.
 

POETRY
Winner: Linda Crosfield, In Praise of the Inexorable (read here)
Runner-up: Marte Stuart, Sandcastles
 

FICTION
Winner: Paul Novitski, Cabochon
Runner-up: Veronica Naul, Flame Child (read here)
 

CREATIVE NONFICTION
Winner: Elenna Hope, Clown (read an excerpt here)
Runner-up: Joanne Feenstra, Green Beans and Aliens (read here)
 

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THANK YOU to everyone who participated, to our jurors, and to all our awesome supporters: The Elephant Mountain Lit Fest, Kootenay Co-op, Evergreen Natural Foods, Save-On Foods, Oso Negro Coffee, Notably Books, and Otter Books. It was a great weekend!