Spillwords Press Awards 2023
Author of the Year
NOMINATIONS
- Jeff Flesch
- Grace Y. Estevez
- Vinayak Pandey (Rain Alchemist)
- Gerry Stefanson
- Sharon Frame Gay
- Freya Pickard
- Elaine Nadal
- Jan Sargeant
- Patricia Furstenberg
- Dawn DeBraal
- Jim Bates
- Jim Bartlett
- David Milner
WINNER
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OCTOBER 2022 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH / 2022 AUTHOR OF THE YEAR at Spillwords.com
Novelist and poet Patricia Furstenberg has a degree in Dentistry and is the author of 18 books including DREAMLAND, 100-Word Stories, TRANSYLVANIA’s HISTORY A to Z, SILENT HEROES – chosen “One of the Five Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime”, and JOYFUL TROUBLE – Amazon Bestseller. Patricia Furstenberg’s writing focuses on people, on how history surprised them, and on the footprints they left, memories that should not be forgotten.
Latest posts by Patricia Furstenberg (see all)
- A Bead of Ice - December 5, 2025
- The Light Behind a Lighthouse - July 29, 2025
- The Shape of Fear, the Shape of Love - June 24, 2025
Publication of the Year (Poetic)
NOMINATIONS
- Love Happens by Michelle Ayon Navajas
- Love Me Like a Luna by Joni Caggiano
- Survival by Joseph L.M. Sturm
- Marie Kondo Cleans My Purse at Starbucks by Barbara Harris Leonhard
- Unsilent by Ampat Varghese Koshy
- The Life of a Dot by Virginia Mateias
- A Primitive Cry by Jane Bradshaw
- When We Stopped Holding Hands by Sheeba Varghese
- Memories of You by Cindy Georgakas
- Waiting for The Cheerful Summer by Simona Prilogan
- Black Rose by Annie Varghese
- Between Rainbow and Melody by Suman Pokhrel
- Death and His Pawn by Diana Burns
WINNER
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THE LIFE OF A DOT by Virginia Mateias
Publication of the Year (Non-Poetic)
NOMINATIONS
- When Education Feels Hopeless by Kate Leo
- The Actress by Sharon Frame Gay
- Jack Hits Fifty by Mark Kuglin
- The Story of Ekolu by Appadurai Muttulingam (translated by Jegadeesh Kumar)
- Over the Fire by B. Jeyamohan (translated by Jegadeesh Kumar)
- Mycelium Dreams by J. Iner Souster
- We Still Have Putin by João Cerqueira
- Inside Out by Mike Henry
- Locust Hill – Chapter I (Courtship at el Caballito) by Carl Parsons
- Good Santa Hunting by Marie-Louise McGuinness
- Earthsong by Steve Carr
- Wolfe Lake by Kate Aranda Nye
- Echoes in the Canyon by Sterling Pohlmann
WINNER
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THE ACTRESS by Sharon Frame Gay
Publication of the Year (International)
NOMINATIONS
- Just Kick the Tyrants Out! by Thaddeus Hutyra
- The Brooklyn Mothers by Maciej Pająk
- Life in Frames by Józefa Ślusarczyk-Latos
- Lamentos by José A Gómez
- A Mis Naranjas Verdes by Francisco Bravo Cabrera
- Polska by Mirosława Stojak
- La Protesta by Alexis Soto Ramírez
- Dżdżyste Życia Łzy by Yvette Popławska
- Amica Mia by Natalia Castelluccio
- Au Revoir by Katarzyna Dominik
- El Petalo Rojo by Nancy E. Campos
- In via Pozzo di Nerone by Livio Cotrozzi
- Una Galassia Nella Mano by Francesco Abate
WINNER
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A MIS NARANJAS VERDES by Francisco Bravo Cabrera
Contributor of the Year (Honorary Award)
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We honor Carl Parsons for his outstanding contribution since 2019 that have amassed 19 publications, which have led to multiple nominations for Author and Publication of the Month. This year, we also had a pleasure of featuring on our pages his wonderful series Locust Hill bringing forth the struggles of a family farm in West Virgina region to our readership. We thank you and are privileged to call you the Contributor of The Year 2022.
Carl Parsons, a former manufacturing manager for TRW Automotive, has had a secondary career as a college instructor of rhetoric and literature. Now retired, he serves as a Master Gardener for the University of Tennessee Extension office and contributes essays on botanical subjects to Hey, Smokies! (an online travel magazine). He has also served as associate editor for Heater, a crime fiction magazine. Currently, he is an active member of Scribophile online writers’ workshop. Born in Parkersburg, WV, he now resides in Kodak, TN. Publication Credits: • Crime Novella, Jukes, to be published in March 2020 by Dark Passages Publishing • Short story, “Judith and Phillip,” published by Foundling House (2019) • Short story, “Another Bus Ride for Sunny,” published by Spillwords Press (2019) • Two poems published with Literary Yard (2019) • Two poems published with Plum Tree Tavern (2019)
Latest posts by Carl Parsons (see all)
- Locust Hill: Chapter XII - May 7, 2023
- Locust Hill: Chapter XI-II - April 6, 2023
- Locust Hill: Chapter XI-I - March 5, 2023
Socialite of the Year (Honorary Award)
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We are proud and excited to recognize The Spillwords Press Socialites of The Year 2022. They support our community, engage with other writers on spillwords.com, celebrate the achievements of others, encourage readers and writers alike to join our global movement via social media and that’s in addition to their literary contributions. You are true ambassadors and for that we are grateful.
I am a mother and grandmother who enjoys writing but usually just for my own pleasure. I was born in Essex but spent many of my adult years in various overseas wherever my husband was working. I studied Sociology originally at University but began teaching English as a Foreign Language while abroad. On our return to the UK I began working in adult education teaching Literacy and Numeracy but always had a passion for Early Years education. As such I retrained and spent a number of years working as an early years practitioner, until I retired in November 2019. I now live in Leicestershire and have two grown up children and two young grandchildren with whom I love to play and read stories to.. During Lockdown I wrote a number of little short stories for them, which i recorded and shared with them just for fun. My first little children's story book Off to the Beach was published by Bumble Bee Books (part of Olympia Publishers) in April 2021. It really was a lockdown project!
Latest posts by Nina Taylor (see all)
- I’m Going on a Job Hunt - September 1, 2025
- Off to the Shops - June 1, 2025
- The Easter Egg Hunt - April 20, 2025
MAY 2022 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH at Spillwords Press
Born and raised on the prairies of Manitoba Canada, along the Red River and just south of Lake Winnipeg. Then Alberta and ten years in the Rockies, just above Montana. The last decade in the Canadian Gulf Islands. People, ideas and stories set the stage of my poetry and writing. Music and art fill my days and verse fills my head. I feel the fortunate one and share this world with my life partner.
Latest posts by Gerry Stefanson (see all)
- Bouleversant - November 13, 2025
- First Date - October 13, 2025
- Up In Smoke - September 12, 2025
NOVEMBER 2025 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH at Spillwords.com
After a long career of tinkering in telecommunications, Jim Bartlett switched to tinkering with words, both, of course, requiring a stretch of the imagination. He has since been fortunate to have a number of stories, ranging from flash to novella, featured in Fiction on the Web, CrimeSpree Magazine, Short-Story.me, Ontologica, The Scarlet Leaf Review, Fairlight Books and a number of other wonderful publications. Most recently one of his stories was featured in the print anthology, The Best of Fiction on the Web, 1996 – 2017. While mentally he strolls along a warm California beach with his wife and golden retriever (shhh, she doesn’t know she’s a dog), physically they reside on a special little island in the Pacific Northwest.
Latest posts by Jim Bartlett (see all)
- Unmasked - October 27, 2025
- The Dodgers Hat - April 27, 2025
- Christmas Gets Stuck in Concourse C - December 15, 2024
I'm British and have been living with my German born wife in s.w. Germany for 30 years. I've been writing short stories for many years and they have appeared on Fictionontheweb, Short FictionBreak, Literally Stories, Spillwords and other sites. I also have a story in the book The Best of Fiction On the Web.
Latest posts by Michael McCarthy (see all)
- Top of the Shop - November 16, 2025
- The Floaters - June 5, 2025
- To Dirk & Else - January 9, 2025
Awaken the possibilities … then unleash them. After 55 years of successful retail management, I have returned to my passion of writing. I write Poetry, Storytelling, and Short Stories. As a child, I grew up on front porch storytelling. I would sit and listen to my Dad and his brothers tell these great stories that were captivating, and I always wanted to hear more. I wanted to experience the things they talked about. I started writing at a young age and reading everything I could get my hands on. At twelve years old I started a storytelling group and several of my friends became writers or poets. At 16 I hopped box cars and worked the tobacco fields, orange groves, picked cotton, and spent many nights around a campfire listing to life stories. Someone once asked me why I wrote. It consumes an amazing amount of time and I assure you it is not going to make me rich. I write so that my children can touch and feel my words telling of the ones that came before us and the stories they told me.
Latest posts by Larry D Tyler (see all)
- Imagination - January 30, 2024
- The Quiet Room - September 12, 2023
- Spotlight On Writers – Larry D Tyler - May 27, 2023
APRIL 2023 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH / 2023 AUTHOR OF THE YEAR at Spillwords.com
Cindy is a San Francisco native and currently lives nestled in the trees in a small community with her husband. She is a health and wellness professional, a certified life coach, personal trainer, yoga/meditation teacher, and bodyworker. She draws inspiration from her clients, friends, four children, 4 legged furry kids and nature. Her new book 'Celebrating Poetry' is a #1 New Top Release on Amazon. It is a companion guide to her book, 'Re-Create & Celebrate: 7 Steps to Live the Life of Your Dreams,' that has over 41 5 Star Reviews. She was voted Author of the Month on Spillwords Press in April 2023 and Publication of the Month on Spillwords in October 2022. She is a co-author of #1 Amazon Bestseller, 'Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women,' #1 Best Seller of 'Hidden In Childhood: A Poetry Anthology' and is also a Treasured Contributor to MasticadoresUsa. You can read more of Cindy's work at Unique Times.
Latest posts by Cindy Georgakas (see all)
- Sobering Reality - November 27, 2025
- Our True Weapon - August 19, 2025
- Our Living Legacy - May 12, 2025
APRIL 2019 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH / 2019 AUTHOR OF THE YEAR at Spillwords.com
Gabriela Marie Milton [Spillwords name Gabriela M] is a #1 Amazon bestselling poet and an internationally published author. Her literary work appeared in various magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the #1 best-selling poetry collection 'Woman: Splendor and Sorrow', Vita Brevis Press, July 2021 and, the author of 'Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings', Vita Brevis Press, April 2020. Under the name Gabriela M she was awarded 2019 Author of the Year at Spillwords Press (NYC). Her piece 'If I say I love you' was nominated for 2020 Spillwords Press Publication of the Year (Poetic). Gabriela is also the editor of MasticadoresUSA. She blogs at Shortprose.
Latest posts by Gabriela M (see all)
- Dematerialisation - September 23, 2020
- Son of The Desert - July 31, 2020
- If I Say I Love You - June 19, 2020
David's stories have appeared in Duality books, Impspired Magazine, Punk Noir, Friday Flash Fiction and performed on Resonance FM radio (UK). He was commissioned to adapt and direct his short story 'Into The Breach' for the 2021 Rise of the Resistance Festival, screened at Bloomsbury Theatre London. His stage play Shinwell was recently published by Impspired Books. David was a founder member of punk band Vee V V. He finds his stories while he's out and about, or they find him... He lives with his wife and family in London.
Latest posts by David Milner (see all)
- From Here to Identity - October 14, 2025
- Distracted Times - July 27, 2025
- Sweeney’s News - April 4, 2025
MARCH 2023 AUTHOR OF THE MONTH at Spillwords.com
Philippine-born Michelle Navajas, currently residing in Malaysia. Michelle authored the book “After – Rain Skies: A Million Stars” for PWW during their Million Stars campaign. Graduated with a Master of Education majoring in English in the Philippines, Michelle was a former college professor, teaching literature, speech & oral communication, creative writing, drama, and theatre arts. Michelle is active in her writing profession and works as a freelance creative writer. Michelle passionately blogs at WordPress at michnavs, where you can find her prose and poetry on love, life, motherhood, and her advocacy on abuse and violence. Her poem “Again” is published on three platforms, on MEDIUM - an International Writers and Readers Space, AFRICA WRITERS CARAVAN, and at WOMAWORDS LITERARY PRESS.
Latest posts by Michelle Ayon Navajas (see all)
- Dear Father - June 15, 2025
- Stars Fled From Your Eyes - March 8, 2025
- Rainbow (An Ameri-Ku) - February 15, 2025
Joni Karen Caggiano is an internationally published author, poet, and photographer. Her book of poetry and prose, "One Petal At a Time," was an Amazon Best Seller featuring Valencian artist Francisco Bravo Cabrera, published by Prolific Pulse Press, LLC. Joni's book was endorsed by Dr. Claudia Black. She is a 2022 Pushcart Nominee for her poem, "Old News is Not Old News." She was privileged to write the Forward for the Best Seller, "I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark," by Michelle Ayon Navajas. On SpillWords Press NYC, Joni won Publication of the Month in November 2022 and Co-Winner of Socialite of the Year for 2023 and 2024. Joni was a Co-Author of both #1 Amazon Bestselling books, "Hidden In Childhood" and "Wounds I Healed." She is also in 7 additional Poetry Anthologies and published this Spring Issue of Fine Lines Journal. Joni is also proud to be included in the upcoming Poetry Anthology, "A Safe and Brave Space." She was a featured poet in Edge of Humanity for World Poetry Day in March of 2024. She is currently a writer for Hotel Masticadores and a visitor on Chewers. Joni's website is Rum and Robots. Joni is a retired nurse, ACOAs (Adult Children of Alcoholics) survivor, and environmental advocate.
Latest posts by Joni Caggiano (see all)
- Sunbird - November 14, 2024
- Sand Shifts - August 19, 2024
- Worn Slap Out - June 5, 2024
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Spilled Words is what we offer one and all.
A website offering fresh, original and exclusive material by writers who espouse the philosophy that “Words Matter” and believe that imagination is the seed of accomplishment.
We are passionate about the world we inhabit; Aware there are two sides to every story. Persistent in our pursuit of all points of view.
A place to think, to laugh, to shed a tear. Where words are gifts that feed the soul; ignite a flame within the heart; excite the recesses of the brain; spark passions and concerns; inspire the conscious and subconscious.
Join Spillwords for this and more…
A website offering fresh, original and exclusive material by writers who espouse the philosophy that “Words Matter” and believe that imagination is the seed of accomplishment.
We are passionate about the world we inhabit; Aware there are two sides to every story. Persistent in our pursuit of all points of view.
A place to think, to laugh, to shed a tear. Where words are gifts that feed the soul; ignite a flame within the heart; excite the recesses of the brain; spark passions and concerns; inspire the conscious and subconscious.
Join Spillwords for this and more…
Latest posts by Spillwords (see all)
- Bonny Dundee - December 7, 2025
- Snowdrops - November 30, 2025
- A Pilgrim’s Way - November 23, 2025
