Contest Winners 2026: Siren Song
- Fairy Tale Magazine
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Enter the place where hearing can be perceived as dangerous—a lure to certain death—or where it can serve as a warning. The authors of Siren Song—winners of our Prose & Poetry Contest 2026—bring us tales in which the sirens’ call is imperative. Sirens and their counterparts exist throughout the world, whether they be feathered or finned. This issue allows you to imagine siren calls in places we all frequent in addition to sirens whose very personal issues challenge whether they can possibly be sirens. Within the pages of this issue there are traditional tales and tales from a variety of cultures.
We invite you to enter the realm of the siren. As you hear their call, you may wish to read aloud the poems and tales within and allow the enchantment to take hold.
This issue holds six award-winning poems and stories. Read on to learn more about each author and allow their first lines to tempt you.
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Winner in Poetry
The Beauty of It All Lies Mostly in the Wanting
Strip the scales from fish. Throw the remains over
the ship’s side. Mine my world for sustenance.
Hannah Bessinger holds an MFA in poetry from North Carolina State University. Her
work has appeared in 2River View, THRUSH Poetry Journal, and The Southern Poetry Anthology Volume V: Georgia.
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Runners Up in Poetry
Salt Stories II
I once had a cottage by the sea, its timbers washed silver
by years and weather, hardy lavender in the back garden,
Sandra Kasturi is a mixed-race writer, poet and editor. Her poetry collections are The
Animal Bridegroom, Come Late to the Love of Birds, and the forthcoming Snake Handling for Beginners. Sandra’s work has won prizes and appeared in multiple magazines and anthologies. She was a finalist for the National Poetry Series in 2024.
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Tempted by Chocolate’s Siren Song—Reality vs Resistance
Like a jungle creature yowling
but with enticing operatic tones, chocolate
bars call to me when I pass near them
Joan Leotta plays with words on page and stage. Internationally published as essayist, poet,
short story writer, novelist, she’s a multiple nominee for Pushcart and Best of Net.
Publications include One Art, Lothlorien, The Mackinaw, Ekphrastic Review, and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She also performs stories for youth and adult audiences.
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Winner in Prose
The Unquiet Water
The ocean glinted, too bright and too hot in the midday sun. The back of Mayu’s neck warmed as her fingers skimmed the frigid water, darting through the speckles of sunlight.
Shannon Weston (she/her) is an author based in Portland, Oregon. She has a penchant for
the speculative and the mysterious. When she isn’t writing, there’s a good chance she’s making up ridiculous nicknames for her rescue dog. You can keep up with her at
@shanwestonwrites on Bluesky and Instagram.
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Runners Up in Prose
The Grey Singer
Before dawn, when the haar still lay thick over the harbour, Màiri walked the pier alone.
James Garry is a Scottish writer, heritage researcher, and folklorist whose work explores
ghostlore, dark heritage, and the supernatural in Scottish culture. He is currently developing
research on paranormal traditions, storytelling, and cultural memory in Scotland, with a
particular interest in folklore, landscape, and haunted histories.
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Unicorn Snail Silk
Dawn winds carried downy feathers across the craggy island. In springs past, the island would be blanketed in them; but this year so few of the Sirens’ chicks had survived.
S. Leigh Ann Cowan is a white, deaf, queer ciswoman born on a Tuesday morning. She
holds master’s degrees in Deaf Studies and English Literature and Language. Find more
about Leigh Ann and her work, especially her passion for deaf representation in fiction, on
her website, slacowan.com.
The Fairy Tale Magazine is made possible by the generosity of our Fairy Godparents Club members and many of our authors. Our staff members volunteer their time. If you enjoy this issue and giving feels good, we welcome your donation, small or large. You may give via PayPal to The Fairy Tale Magazine (thefairytalemagazine@gmail.com).
