First Place Winner 2026 Gooseberry Pie Writing Competition
by Kathryn Silver-Hajo
A parent on a beach blanket, another in the water, the space between them, quizzical looks, triangulations, miles of white sand. A yellow shovel, red pail, sprawling clusters of sunbathers, bottles of beer, tattoos, rippling muscles, tiny, tangle-haired humans darting around. Teenaged lifeguards, roughhousing, raucous music, the sweep and churn of the ocean, its dark depth, racing jet skis, a shark fin. Packed parking lot, heat-rippled asphalt, screaming seagulls, shouted pleas, miles of white sand. A family of six jumping to their feet, fanning across the expanse, a whistle, hand signals. A child, a smile, sandcastle under construction, swaying seagrasses.
Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s recent work appears in Bending Genres, Emerge, Ghost Parachute, Gooseberry Pie, Hot Flash, Roi Fainéant, and Ruby Literary. Books include award-winning flash collection, Wolfsong, and YA novel, Roots of The Banyan Tree. kathrynsilverhajo.com; facebook.com/kathryn.silverhajo; twitter.com/KSilverHajo; @kathrynsilverhajo.bsky.social.
Photo by Todd Gallant on Unsplash
