Frankie MacMillan

Yesterday, I featured Frankie McMillan’s poem My father, the oceanographer, which showcases Frankie’s unique “voice” as a poet and prose writer.

Frankie deployed her talent and voice again in this year’s National Flash Fiction competition — and when the results were announced on Monday evening (National Flash Fiction Day) was found to have:

• won the competition with her flash fiction story, The House on Riselaw Street

and also

• achieved 3rd place for her story, A Field Guide for Lost Girls

But wait, there’s more!

In addition to winning the competition and being 3rd place getter, Frankie was also the winner of the Canterbury Regional Award, sponsored by the New Zealand Society of Authors.

A hat-trick indeed — and a result that truly qualifies Frankie as a flash fiction heroine. 🙂

The competition was judged by leading NZ writers, Fiona Kidman and Owen Marshall. The following is an excerpt from their report that refers to the three, place-winning stories:

“The third place winner, A Field Guide for Lost Girls, is an excellent piece – warm, powerful, quirky and with a satisfying and unexpected ending. First Fox, which was awarded  second place, displays some memorable descriptions and  spot-on satirical insights into relationships. The competition winner, The House on Riselaw Street, has a powerful narrative voice, significant themes, and  impressionistic, suggestive and economical language that develops considerable emotional power. A worthy winner indeed.”

Congratulations, Frankie.

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To read a fuller report on the competition results and the judge’s report in full, go to:

Winners of the 2015 National Flash Fiction competition