Congratulations to the winners and honorable mentions for the 2025 Barthelme Prize, judged by Rosebud Ben-Oni.
2025 Winner:
“Bring to Mind the Mouth” by Christopher Notarnicola
Honorable Mentions:
“Rent” by Bradley Trumpfeller
“Third Mother” by Lisa Harris
Rosebud Ben-Oni, on the winner:
"Bring to Mind the Mouth" is a devastatingly symphonious reflection on one of the darkest places in childhood that reaches beyond the story's pivotal scene, revealing how tragedy is often easily overlooked and then carried by the survivor alone. South Florida flora, fauna and motels gnash against the unspeakable, as the narrator pieces together sharp, surfacing memories and undeniable truths: how does one survive their early years with little agency and protection, and then render, in their own words, the residual haunting so lyrically, taking their time to unfold its dimensions with precision? "Bring to Mind the Mouth" does just that: within the mouth itself (particularly the period of exposure between losing baby teeth and new, "permanent" ones growing in), every single image is its own breath and instrument, playing a part in the cacophony that the author transforms into their own astonishing elegy.
Christopher Notarnicola's work has appeared in AGNI, American Short Fiction, Bellevue Literary Review, Best American Essays, Best Microfiction, Chicago Quarterly Review, Five Points, Image, The Southampton Review, and other publications. Find him in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and at christophernotarnicola.com.
Thank you to everyone who submitted to the 2025 Barthelme Prize! The winner will appear in the print edition of Gulf Coast 38.2.
