2021 Pinch Literary Awards
POETRY: “THE MATH OF COWS” BY EMILY FRANKLIN
JUDGED BY CATHERINE PIERCE
Emily Franklin's debut poetry collection Tell Me How You Got Here was published by Terrapin Books in 2021. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Guernica, New Ohio Review, Cincinnati Review, Blackbird, Epoch, The Rumpus, Painted Bride Quarterly, and Cimarron Review among other places as well as featured on National Public Radio and named notable by the Association of Jewish Libraries.
On this piece, Catherine Pierce says:
“I love the movement and surprise of “The Math of Cows”—it’s a poem that never lets you settle, never does quite what you expect it to do or goes where you expect it to go. Even more than that, I love how this poem manages to weave seamlessly together so many tonal elements—gravity, subtle humor, poignancy, disarming frankness, vulnerability, authority. “The Math of Cows” is a powerful and wholly original poem.”
FICTION: “HOMETOWN TOURIST” BY WILL BERRY
JUDGED BY DIANCA POTTS
Will Berry is a writer and film director living in Austin, Texas. Another short story of his recently received an honorable mention at the Zoetrope: All-Story Short Fiction Contest. Originally from Maine, he's since lived only in capital cities of other states.
On this piece, Dianca Potts says:
“Hometown Tourist” is a lyrically stirring and soul-searing portrait of grief, belonging, and the limitless bond between daughters, mothers, and matriarchs—known and unknown. A vibrant and immersive exploration of how the past can shape a person’s present, “Hometown Tourist” is an unshakably embodied portrayal of loss and inheritance that holds an unflinching and timely mirror up to the hearts of its readers, urging them to consider their own definition of home and the ever-present complexities of being human. Evocative of Emma Cline, John Updike, and Kali Fajardo-Anstine, “Hometown Tourist” is a memorable meditation on the inescapable way history bleeds into the future, regardless of our willingness to admit it. A vividly lush and undeniable testament to belonging, this story is meant to be savored and returned to again and again. Its author is a voice to remember.”