FPS: Masks We Wear Challenge Winners

The Masks We Wear Challenge asked writers to explore what hides beneath the surface. The sides of ourselves we protect, the stories we tell without words, the versions we choose to share. What came back were poems full of contrast and emotion, where honesty and illusion moved together in surprising ways. Some lifted the mask to find courage, others found power in keeping it on, and all reminded us that what we hide can be just as revealing as what we show.

🏆 Winners

Not Everything Hidden Is Hiding by Diane Foster

Diane Foster's piece weaves imagery with grace, revealing layers of truth and the gentle dance between what we show and what stays hidden. The way she contrasts the everyday with the inner tide creates a pull that feels both intimate and universal. The ending stays with you, a soft reminder that the surface can be a kind of truth too.

Let it Be Known by K.B. Silver

K.B. Silver's poem pulls you into the struggle of hiding while daring to be seen. The vivid imagery and raw emotion hit deeply, capturing the cost of masking neurodivergence. It’s haunting and honest, leaving an echo that lingers long after you finish reading.

Mask of a Suburban Woman by Teresa Renton

Teresa Renton's reflection captures the constant search for identity under the guise of suburban routine. The imagery of shapes, from pills to parcels, speaks volumes about the everyday roles we play. It’s the final image of freedom that stays with you, rising above the constraints of daily life.

Domestic (a)blyss by Paris Rosemont

Paris Rosemont slowly unveils the chilling reality of hidden abuse with a stark and clinical approach. It’s a gut-punch that feels both inevitable and hauntingly real.

Disassociative Identity by Alisha Wilkins ✒️😸🖋️

Alisha Wilkins's poem lays bare the intimate dance with dissociation, where Marie becomes both a shield and a mirror. It’s a raw acknowledgment of inner battles that stick with you, a testament to finding strength within vulnerability.

🎖️ Runners-up

• Caul by S. A. Crawford
• After I Wrote This by Paul Stewart
• Virago by Edward Swafford
• Novel strain by Cali Loria
• Read this when they bury me by Chloe Corcoran
• Late Night TV From America by Sean Bass
• Soliloquy by Sonia Heidi Unruh
• I'm not Crazy by Emily McGuff
• Just Pretending by Julie Lacksonen
• Beware by Sam Spinelli
• Unmasking by Madison Jade
• This Drink by Kevin Rolly
• The Mask, Act Two: If You Knew by Josh Morgan
• Only the Knower Knows by C. Rommial Butler
• The Post-Millennial Masquerade by J. Otis Haas

🏅 Honorable Mentions

• There Were Signs by Stacey Mataxis Whitlow (SMW)
• Multitudes by Judey Kalchik
• we wore bascinets at the round table by Alexandria Stanwyck
• The Show Must Go by Wonder T
• Masked by Obsidian Words
• Hidden by Deanna Locke
• Pretending by Ariana GonBon
• I Leave My Mask On Now by John R. Godwin
• Therapeutic by Kendall Defoe
• MAYBE I AM by Kent Brindley

Check out the latest on Vocal Challenges.