Library announces short story contest winners

May 22-- May 22--Jeff Edwards, a Navy veteran turned military novelist, won first place in the San Diego Public Library's annual short story contest.

"Postcards from the Moon," about a missing grandfather who regrets a decision he made as a teen, took the top award of $300 in the contest, which is in its second year and is designed "to nurture and foster local writing talent, and to provide a platform for the promotion and publication of short form fiction in the area."

Four prize-winners were announced in the contest, which is capped at 150 entries. The top three will be showcased in a public event Friday at 7 p.m. in the library's Neil Morgan Auditorium. The event is free, but registration is encouraged.

Edwards, the first-place winner, is a retired chief petty officer and a specialist in anti-submarine warfare. His military novels, which include "Sea of Shadows," "The Seventh Angel" and "Steel Wind," have won several awards, including a Gold Medal for Navy Fiction from the Military Writers Society of America.

Second-place and $125 went to Sarina Dahlan for "The Metamorphosis of Mao Mao," a story about a cat that turns into a snake. A graduate of the University of California San Diego, Dahlan has worked a variety of jobs and manages a blog, "WanderingWonderWoman," which includes travel stories, food recipes and advice. Her story collection, "Shadow Play: Ten Tales from the In-between," was published last year.

Kim Keeline, a book publicist, web designer and graphic artist, captured third-place and $75 for "The Crossing." It's about a driver who gets an unexpected passenger while waiting her turn at the San Ysidro border. A former teacher, Keeline is president of the San Diego chapter of Sisters in Crime, a support organization for women who write mysteries.

Honorable mention was awarded to Makena Morgan, a Chapman University graduate in creative writing whose work focuses mainly on science fiction and urban fantasy.

The contest was open to San Diego County residents age 16 and older, one story per author, no more than 3,000 words. There was no fee to enter, and all genres were accepted.

Winners were chosen by a committee of librarians with "expertise in fiction, writing, publishing and literary studies," according to the contest guidelines. At Friday's event, the top three stories will be read by performers from the local group Write Out Loud. A question-and-answer session with the authors and performers will follow.

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