A joy flight – one winning story

Brian’s story ‘I can’t get my head around that’ was recently published in our 2022 anthology Bones and Blue Eyes. He wrote about his mind going blank midway through a sermon he was preaching – yikes! Our 2022 Open category judge Dr James Cooper awarded third prize to Brian’s story, commenting, ‘The writer of this story takes a more philosophical approach, interweaving personal, theological reflection with a humorous tale about an impromptu joy flight to Apollo Bay. Recovering a childlike sense of wonder and play, and a newfound appreciation for the physicality of creation, the narrator finds a way to traverse the longest journey of all – from the head to the heart.’

After the book launch and announcement of prize winners, Brian wrote to us:

I was delighted that my story, ‘I can’t get my head around that’, was published, but to receive a prize was a complete shock. I am grateful to all those involved with Stories of Life for the opportunity to publish. And thank you for the prize. There is no doubt that I owe a depth of gratitude too to my teachers and fellow students in the Tabor Creative Writing course that I am currently learning from. I have only been learning creative writing for a year, and the Tabor course and all those involved have made all the difference.

Feature photo above of Apollo Bay by John, Creative Commons.

To read Brian’s story ‘I can’t get my head around that’, order a copy of Bones and Blue Eyes from our online bookstore today.

Bones and Blue Eyes is the seventh anthology in the Stories of Life series, true stories of ordinary people experiencing a connection with the divine in the context of their ‘ordinary’ lives. They are electricians, accountants, butchers, mothers, preachers, children; people grieving, people rejoicing, people helping and being helped. In each story we see individuals believing, however shakily, in a God who cares and comes to them. The writers are honest about pain, doubt, poor choices, unjust circumstances, fear… This is not a collection of neat stories, perfect doctrine, and pasted smiles. On the contrary, many are unfinished stories of people who simply acknowledge that, along their way, the God of love meets them. Stories of Life will encourage, refresh, challenge, entertain and inspire you.

Feature photo by Jame and Jess on Flickr. Creative Commons.