“Fred W. Loring and His Mule, ‘Evil Merodach,’ 48 Hours Before Death” Wins 2014 Midwest Short Fiction Prize

My story “Fred W. Loring and His Mule, ‘Evil Merodach,’ 48 Hours Before Death,” which chronicles the short but illustrious life of obscure 19th century Bostonian poet Frederick Wadsworth Loring (depicted below), has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Midwest Short Fiction Prize, held annually by The Laurel Review.

The man and mule of the hour.

The prize includes publication in the upcoming issue of The Laurel Review (early 2015), an invited reading at Northwest Missouri State University sometime this spring, and a $500 honorarium.

I think Loring (and Evil Merodach) would be proud.