SWS: Everything Looks Better From Far Away Challenge Winners

From oceanside leave to echoing stage lights, this challenge took us to places that seemed picture-perfect at first glance but carried something heavier underneath. For Everything Looks Better From Far Away, Vocal writers gave us sunsets that didn’t quite soothe, conversations that missed the mark, and homes that felt unfamiliar even after returning. These were stories where beauty sat side by side with tension and where characters stood just outside of where they wanted to be.

Tonight at midnight (EST) is the deadline for The Road Drops Here, the last stop in our Summer Writing Series. We’ve loved seeing the stories and poems you’ve created these past few months, and it’s been a real joy watching the series unfold. The Fall Poetry Series is already off to a strong start, and we’re looking forward to everything still to come. But before we get there, let’s celebrate the writers who captured that bittersweet feeling of looking out at something lovely and knowing it’s not quite right.

🏆 Winners

Performing Arts by Alison McBain

Alison McBain's entry captures the unsettling contrast between a seemingly perfect ballet recital and the undercurrent of anxiety beneath the surface. It leaves you with the unsettling sense that even the most polished moments can hold something vast and unknown.

Shore Leave by Theo James Taylor

Theo James Taylor's story shows how even the most perfect view can carry hidden scars, balancing nostalgia with the weight of past trauma. His reflections draw us into that tension between Reed’s peaceful Norwegian escape and the shadows that won’t let go, leaving us to wonder what lingers under the surface of our own memories.

A Red Letter Day for Tatlow by Marie Wilson

Marie Wilson blends small-town unease with just the right dose of surrealism, creating a world that’s both familiar and off-kilter. Her sharp, satirical edge cuts through the quiet tension, revealing how fear and resistance can hide behind even the most ordinary facades.

Superposition by Arne Nasgot

Arne Nasgot's reflection captures nostalgia in layers, where the surface of an idyllic life carries the echoes of dreams left behind. What lingers is the tension between what looks perfect and the quiet regrets just beneath the surface.

Nuala by D. J. Reddall

D. J. Reddall's piece takes us into the haze of a dive bar, where quick wit and charm brush up against loneliness and regret. What feels light on the surface carries a weight underneath, a reminder that even the most casual encounters can reveal more than we expect.

🎖️ Runners-up

• She Sings in the Morning. by Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh.
• The Garden by River and Celia in Underland
• Smile by R. B. Booth
• One Last Concerto by Lindsay Coon
• Waiting Place by Alexander McEvoy
• Gospel of Love by Ariana GonBon
• I Love It Here by L.C. Schäfer
• The View from the Street by Kit Val
• See them by Emily Ryan
• Perfect From Afar by Bernard Bleske
• Peas Full by E.K. Daniels
• I Broke Both My Legs to Become 2cm Taller by Scott Christenson🌴
• Enjoy Your Stay by Tyler C Clark (he/him)
• Returning Home by Mary K Brackett
• The Canyon by J. Otis Haas

🏅 Honorable Mentions

• Marianne by Elizabeth Diehl
• Soft as Limestone by Ian Lund
• The Cliffside Reunion by Luna Jordan
• When True North Fails by Gerard DiLeo
• The Washingtons by Natalie Gray
• Beyond the Glass by Gunnar Anderson
• Ash and Breath: A Midsummer Transformation by Stacey Mataxis Whitlow (SMW)
• 2 Margaritas by Danielle Eckhart
• Fear River by Mackenzie Davis
• The Diner by Amethyst Champagne

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