In partnership with the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, and support from AT&T, the Texas Book Festival is proud to announce the 2017 winners of the Fresh Ink Fiction Contest!

These young writers showcased their literary promise with a work of original fiction based on our theme for 2017, “Funny Running Into You Here.” These nine winners come from all across the state and represent the future of Texas literature.

2017 Fresh Ink Fiction Contest Winners:

11th and 12th 

1st: Brittany Mackeown – “Little Drops”

2nd: Elena Pacheco – “Morbid Art”

3rd: Lydia Burleson – “The Monster Inside”

9th and 10th

1st: Diya Chatterjee – “The Permanent Record Caper”

2nd: Veronica J. Ledezma – “The Woman Under the Bridge”

3rd: Madeline Szoo – “The Pearly Gates”

7th and 8th 

1st: Yasmeen Khan – “Katherine, or Catharsis: Nine Portraits”

2nd: Priyanka Gupta – “Dipper”

3rd: Shirley Zhu – “The Raven and the Dove”