The Literary Magic 2006 Fiction and Poetry Contests were both great successes. We received over 100 entries for both contests from 9 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, France, Germany, India and Argentinia.

Below are the winners of the fiction and poetry contests. To read their stories and poems, click on their titles. The top three winners of both contests received a critique by our editors as well, which can be read also. Honorary Mentions (five for each contest) are listed below the top three winners. Literary Magic thanks every writer who submitted their fiction and poetry to our contests, and we congratulate the winners.               

Fiction Contest Winners                    

 First Place:  "Mermaids to Manta-Rays," by Charmaine J. Clark, Australia

            Second Place: "Obsession," by Frank Pim, United States

        Third Place: "Get me to the Chapel on time," by Sue-Lyn and Paul Hughes, United Kingdom

Honorary Mentions:

      First Honorary Mention: "Absence of Tears," by Shoshana R. McIntosh, United States                                                   

Second Honorary Mention: "Morgan Lefang and the Bad Bunnies," by Raymond Carissimo, United States

Third Honorary Mention: "The Cabbage Soup Caper," by George L. Darley, Jr., United States

Fourth Honorary Mention: "An Unlikely Friend," by Melanie Wollenschlager, Germany

Fifth Honorary Mention: "Buenos Aires," by Scott McKnight, Argentina 

                         Poetry Contest Winners

      First Place: "When..." by Nathalie Freson, Israel

   Second Place: "From Freedom to Captivity," by Cherry-Ann Carew, United States

   Third Place: "Some Power from Somewhere," by Siobhan Lavelle, United Kingdom (Ireland)

Honorary Mentions:

First Honorary Mention: "Senryus," by Charles Clifford Brooks III, United States

Second Honorary Mention: "take her home," by Jayanthi Manoj, India

Third Honorary Mention: "Before I Can Tell," by Danielle Jasmine Nordlund, United States

Fourth Honorary Mention: "Portrait," by Marilyn J. De Paula, United States

Fifth Honorary Mention: "Maisy," by John Lavan, United Kingdom  

Literary Magic will begin accepting submissions for the 2007 Fiction and Poetry Contests in early January. Until then, read below for our other contests, most of them taking place monthly.

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Other Contests:

Definitions Contest:

The first and second place winners for Literary Magic's Definitions contest are:

First Place: Geoff Anderson, United Kingdom

Second Place: Reuven Bankoff, United States

Definitions: Geoff Anderson

1. Abecedarian
The alphabetical system of classifying library books before Dewey Decimal.

2. Ellipsis
Three dots at the end of a sentence which indicate something ...

3. Orison
A prayer used by Shakespearean nymphs in Denmark.

4. Scot
Kilt-wearing race, usually Great!

5. Bathos
A let-down, like stepping into a bath to find there's no water in it.

6. Kalamkari
Committing suicide by falling on your Kalashnikov.

7. Mandoline (not a musical instrument)
How a Mandarin pronounces his language.

8. Eleemosynary
The shape formed by Holmes's pipe smoke when he's explaining a theory to Dr Watson.

9. Chary
Wary about sitting on a chair in case it collapses.

10. Appogiatura 
The top note in a tenor's aria.

                                    Definitions: Reuven Bankoff

Literary Magic Games, Contests and Challenges

In this contest, all you have to do is determine whether the following words are actual English words, or are gibberish. Please email all answers (and your name) to literati2006@aol.com. Like with all Literary Magic contests, the winner/winners( those getting all answers correct) will be posted in the next issue of Literary Magic. Honorary mention will be given to all runner ups. Good Luck!

English or gibberish? You decide!

1. Sebern
2. Secern
3. Fylfot
4. Galligaskins
5. Fartlek
6. Quean
7. Phut
8. Roquelaure
9. Zumbooruk
10. Zumbure

Magic Spells Contest:

The winner of the first Literary Magic Spells Contest is Reuven Bankoff, whose spells can be found below.

Here's where the magic part of Literary Magic magazine starts to step in. This is a contest, but it is a place where you can submit answers that can never be wrong. Here, Literary Magic posts a few original magic spells formulated using ancient languages (such as Latin or Greek). We have posted a couple examples for you to view, in order to get an idea of what we are looking for in this contest. The challenge is for you to come up with an original spell (e.g. "Garottess Lendena" meaning "lend carrots," or "Carpetus Flyous" meaning "carpet, fly." While the spells you submit to us are of course never wrong, we can only post the best original spells (meaning, those that sound like and make people think are magic spells to the greatest extent). So please, don't be afraid to participate in this contest, since it's the easiest one. Simply email your spells, what they mean in English, and your name to literati2006@aol.com.

Let your imagination run wild and have fun!

For this issue of Literary Magic, we have posted the following spells and their meanings to help you get start. Winners and runner ups will all be posted next issue. Their spells will also be posted and added to our Lagic dictionary!

• Fyr Decimare- In English, this term means "fire, decimate" (it is Latin). This spell is used by dark wizards and witches to call forth fire (Latin fyr) to kill many and cause great destruction (Latin decimare). This spell is useful while fighting off a large number of enemies or when pillaging small towns with weak defenses.
• Haelan Faest Lah Injuiria-In English, this term means "heal the injury fast." (This also is Latin. Lah, however, is not the Latin word for the, but is rather something Literary Magic has made up.) This spell would be used by good wizards and witches, especially priests, to heal (haelan) an injury (injuria) fast (faest.) This spell is very useful in healing the wounded during a raging battle.

• Verto meus hostilis ut pulvis:

  Turn my enemies to dust.

• Vestri saeta mos putesco ex vestri caput capitis:

  Your hair will rot out of your head.

• Sapor tantum pulvis , perussi tantum putesco:

  Taste only dust, consume only rot.

                                                                                                                  

Use the above examples to help you when formulating magic spells to submit to the contest. Please email all submissions to literati2006@aol.com. You may use English dictionaries or dictionaries of foreign languages to make up your spells, or just your own imagination. The only requirement is that they are original and that you have fun when concocting them!

All Magic Spells Contest winners will have their spells not only posted in the next issue of Literary Magic, but will also have them added to the Literary Magic Dictionary for magic spells!