Wow! Bob (Imposter Syndromes) here. Congrats to the other winners and finalists and thanks so much to the Escape Pod team for running this contest. I know what a serious investment something like this is to run and I really appreciate the labor of love from the Escape Artists/Pod folks to make this happen. It’s a tremendous experience as a writer to get feedback on your stories that exceeds “this wasn’t a fit”— and I really appreciate the way they run the contests (and for free!).
There were so many stories (and once the anonymity was lifted, writers I recognize) that I admire and appreciate; it was wonderful to be a part of it. My personal favorites were probably six reasons why bots make the worst asteroid miners, nice solar system…, and crosswords and coffee, but I liked so many of them.
Finally, an indulgent, sappy backstory you can skip: A decade ago, I dove headfirst into the world of publishing (Got an MFA, worked as an agent,adjunct, and reader) and immediately became disillusioned and burnt out. I had stopped writing fiction entirely, and never planned to return. A couple months after my first child was born in 2020, I developed a severe colon and bladder infection and underwent serious emergency surgery. I was bed-bound for months and I couldn’t listen to any of my normal supply of podcasts because they were all comedy shows and laughing hurt like hell. So…I downloaded a podcast called Escape Pod. I binged a billion episodes (and laughed and hurt my stitches). It reminded me how much I still love writing and it was a major reason I started writing again for the first time in a decade. This is an absolute thrill and it is far more emotionally rewarding than it should be to have some strangers on the internet to tell my they like my silly story about rotten fish chowder and Uncle Goose Boys.
Thanks everyone! I look forward to reading and voting for your stories in the next contest!
