Story Unlikely’s annual short story contest is underway, and I wanted to sneak in a submission before the window closes on Jan 31, 2024.

I resubmitted my sci-fi short Benevolencia. It’s the 22nd century, Durango, Mexico, and Harper flees from an abusive husband in the States, searching for a better life for her kids across the border.

I originally wrote and submitted this story to Grist in June 2023.

Annually, Grist challenges authors to imagine a world set 180 years in the future where disenfranchised communities most affected by climate change thrive. Afrofuturism, solarpunk, LGBTQI, and indigenous storytelling inform the contest. I found imagining a positive future difficult — myself, I believe it’s easy to write a dystopian, but near impossible to imagine a future of social justice and equity. It was a fun process, and I’m proud of the story, so I’m hopeful it’ll find a new home at Story Unlikely.

It looks like acceptance could extend through May 31, 2024, so we’ll have some time to read before the good news arrives. Fingers crossed!