The O. Henry Prize is the oldest major prize for short fiction in America. Awarded since 1919, the prize seeks to provide a prominent platform for short story writers from all around the world and at all points in their careers. The winners’ stories are collected and published annually by Anchor Books. Learn more about the prize here. 

Our Amazing Torch Nominees Include:

“Nosey” by Jennifer Coley

“Call More Dead” by Jessica Araújo

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About Torch Literary Arts

Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established with love and intention in 2006 to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. We publish contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike. Torch has featured work by Toi Derricotte, Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, workshops, an annual retreat, and special events. 

Help Torch co

ntinue to publish and promote Black women writers by donating today.

About Jennifer Coley

Jennifer Coley is a writer from North Carolina. She is a graduate of East Carolina University, where she obtained a BA in Art History and an MA in Communication. She has self-published under the pseudonym Jaxon Z. Carroll on Amazon. Her work has also been published in midnight & indigo: Twenty-two Speculative Stories by Black Women Writers (Issue 4). She has always had a love for storytelling, and when she is not writing, she is probably thinking about writing.

About Jessica Araújo

Jessica Araújo (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of English at the Community College of Rhode Island. She has her MA in Literature and MFA in Creative Writing from William Paterson University.  Her works have been published in Sad Girl Diaries Literary Magazine, Wingless Dreamer, Cathexis Northwest Press, and Midnight & Indigo.

Media Contact Information:

Brittany Heckard

Communications Associate

bheckard@torchliteraryarts.org 

(512) 641-9251