Portland Review is thrilled to announce Sara Duff as the winner of our inaugural Verna Marion Nugent Chapbook Contest. Her short story, “Perfect Specimens” was chosen by author Porochista Khakpour.

The award supports emerging writers who have not yet published a book or had work appear major print or online outlets. Named after Portland-based librarian, single-mother, and short story writer Verna Marion Nugent, the contest is made possible by a generous donation from her son, Ron Nugent. The winner will receive publication in our 2020 print issue, as well as a $500 prize.

Sara Duff completed her MFA in fiction from Washington University in 2017. She currently lives and works and writes in Tucson, Arizona. Her work is also forthcoming from The Fairy Tale Review.

Runners-up for the prize are: S. Makai Andrews’s “For the Snakes and the People They Bite”; Barry Pearce’s “Snow Chairs”; and Michael Welch’s “For Soot.”