Writers take on the short story — and win

This year's winning short stories show just how versatile the form can be

The short story is a peculiarly delightful form — it's longer than a poem, shorter than a novel and rebelliously shirks the parameters and conventions other forms might impose. It feels free to dip its toes into poetic lyricism, plays with the structures of "story" as it pleases, but — in the end — is beholden to neither. And so, in its unwillingness to conform, it's a form that has the potential to capture many writers and readers of all ages.

From the poetic musings of a mysterious man, to a whimsical world where the forgotten characters of unfinished stories go to live, to a kid's quiet observations on the daily bike ride to school — these short stories may be part of the same genre, but they offer vastly varying takes on topics like memory, life, love and growing up. They are the winners of this year's annual short story contest, and they offer a glimpse into the creativity that abounds in this community.

The Palo Alto Weekly would like to thank the 95 writers who submitted work to this year's contest; the readers, Danielle Truppi and Sharon Levin, who selected the top entries in each category for the judges to consider; the judges for the adult categories, Mike Nagler, Nancy Packer and Nick Taylor; and the Teen category judges, Caryn Huberman Yacowitz, Marjorie Sayer and Debbie Duncan. The Weekly also would like to thank the contest co-sponsors, Bell's Books of Palo Alto, Kepler's Books of Menlo Park and Linden Tree Books of Los Altos.