Doris Betts Fiction Prize

2006 Competition Winner

Rhonda Strickland of Raleigh is the winner of the NC Writers’ Network’s Doris Betts Fiction Prize for her story "Night Light." Jill McCorkle, the final judge, said, "Such beautiful writing from the kid’s perspective -- a very subtle but effective story." Strickland, a past second place winner in the 2005 Betts contest, will receive a $200 prize and consideration for publication in the North Carolina Literary Review.

Second place was awarded to J. M. Lucas for "Spiritual Scents"; McCorkle praised the story’s "set up and tension." Lucas, a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network who lives in Richmond, VA, will receive a $100 prize; her story will also be considered for publication in NCLR.

All finalists will be invited to revise and submit their stories for publication consideration by NCLR. NCLR, based in the English Department of East Carolina University, has also assumed handling of entry submissions and judge selections.

McCorkle chose the winning stories from among ten finalists that were selected by NCLR editors from the original fifty-eight submissions. Special recognition from Jill McCorkle was given to "Opossum" by Elizabeth Haley of Charlotte, and "Lather, Rinse, Repeat" by Maureen Sherbondy, also of Raleigh. Jill McCorkle, the author of three collections of short stories and five novels, is a North Carolina native.