Writing is simply a challenge, astatine each level. There are changeless pressures acting upon a writer: juggling betwixt responsibilities and work; prioritizing health; making and someway slowing down time; even, perhaps, the arresting, infinite possibilities of the page. Not to mention, each the subconscious terrain, wherever 1 wrestles with memory, vulnerability, and presence.

And yet—

These 5 pieces, selected arsenic the winners by novelist and abbreviated communicative writer Elizabeth McCracken for the 2026 Insider Prize, are awe-inspiring depictions of fortitude, honesty, and the powerfulness of narrative—all written nether the hard circumstances recovered wrong the carceral system.

Take, for example, Charles Hill’s winning story, “Prisoner’s Home”: wherever a protagonist returns aft serving a lengthy condemnation and struggles to set to societal conditions. Hill expresses, successful earnest, the fears of being seen successful nationalist spaces, specified arsenic a market store, hounded by idiosyncratic questions—an all-too relatable scenario, careless of one’s background. (In an absorbing crook of events, Charles Hill was discharged sometime aft submitting for the prize; his whereabouts are presently unknown. Here’s hoping his idiosyncratic odyssey leads him to harmless harbors.) And Brian Steven’s runner-up story, “A Hairy Tale,” follows a quality desperately seeking to escaped his compartment from his celly’s hairsbreadth with vivid usage of item and a suspenseful ending.

Deanna Carney’s winning essay, “Sit. Stay.,” recounts heartbreaking events from puerility to parenthood, marked by the assorted pets that provided comfortableness successful those moments. With prose akin to poetry, she delves into the layers of trauma and finds a mode retired done healing and support. (A notable event, too: Deanna volition beryllium released connected parole successful precocious September 2026.) And successful a archetypal for the Insider Prize, determination are 2 runners-up successful nonfiction, with thought-provoking insights of the strategy and a portrayal of yearning to reunite with family; Matthew Mendoza’s “Zen and the Art of Civil Commitment” reaches affectional depths done almighty reflections successful hunt of redemption, portion Steven Perez’s “Aunt Terry and Josiah King” transports the scholar wrong his bunker wherever helium makes a telephone to his dying aunt.

Each submission received for the prize—handwritten oregon typed out, past mailed successful thick, delicate envelopes—examined the quality information done a divers lens: the deficiency of justice, oppressive Texas vigor successful harsh surviving conditions, unit suffered by transgender women, and the conflict with addiction. Most moving, supra all, are the correspondences with the writers themselves who scope retired astatine their ain expense—quite literally. A connection to interaction basal and accidental hello, an anxious enquiry connected the adjacent unfastened model for the contest, a half-torn, crumbled leafage from idiosyncratic asking for penning resources successful penciled scribbles. I tin lone imagine, done slivers of their world depicted successful their pieces, the constricted spaces and clip allotted; it serves america good to support successful caput the effort and magnitude incarcerated writers undertake for the accidental of look and connection.

With overmuch gratitude from our Insider Prize Assistant Editors, our partners astatine Lit Hub and Huston-Tillotson University, and everyone astatine American Short Fiction, I anticipation these singular stories service arsenic beacons for hope, forgiveness, and redemption. A intermission to bespeak and a reminder of our privileges, the work to uplift marginalized voices, and the accidental to conscionable ourselves connected the page—and each other—with the aforesaid strength, humility, and grace.

–Sergio Muro, Insider Prize Director

*

First place, Fiction:
Charles Hill, “Prisoner’s Home”

“Prisoner’s Home,” by Charles Hill, follows a young antheral successful the months aft his merchandise from prison, arsenic helium discovers that the features of his incarceration—the fights he’s been in, the lies he’s told, the mode he’s tried to marque himself invulnerable—all travel him home. His fixed sanction is Chris, but successful situation helium calls himself “Crazy.” This analyzable and heartfelt communicative is astir however the lies you archer yourself astir who you are volition alteration you, but ne'er successful the mode you hope: what you anticipation volition prevention you mightiness doom you instead.

–Elizabeth McCracken

Prisoner’s Home
by Charles Hill

Chris went to situation astatine the young property of nineteen—he was successful his 2nd twelvemonth of college. Photos of Chris connected societal media amusement him hunting, drinking, and dancing: each the things his parents ne'er had the accidental to do.

Prison turned Chris into a liar. After prison, adjacent helium couldn’t judge the truth: helium had learned to hatred state and lied astir loving home.

***

His American Dream was going well, until 1 nighttime astatine a party.

“Hey girl, what’s your name?”

Chris stood up and placed a manus betwixt his miss and the kid who approached her. “Buzz off, buddy. She’s not interested,” Chris said.

The kid stepped back, raising some hands successful defense. “Woooow bro, I’m conscionable present to party.” He gave a shitty grin, past glanced astatine his buddies down him.

Chris lowered his hand.

“So, girl: are you going to enactment with the lame Captain Save-a-Ho oregon travel with large daddy?”

Chris dashed the kid with his portion and swung furiously; helium caught him successful the jaw with a 2nd swing, the kid dropping similar a bedewed noodle. Two bodyguards turned and walked off. But Chris wasn’t done: helium dropped to 1 genu and pounded the kid’s face. Blow aft blow, Chris saw red. He didn’t consciousness the brushed manus oregon agelong blond hairsbreadth remainder connected the backmost of his cervix oregon perceive the saccharine dependable crying, “Stop, Chris. Please. Stop.”

Smash, smash, smash.

Someone deed Chris implicit the head, and the adjacent happening helium could retrieve was a agleam achromatic LED shining into his eyes.

“Yep, he’s up now. Drag him to the car,” a bull said.

***

The region jailhouse was a caller acquisition for Chris to accidental the least, a caller 1 that would past for years. He was charged with aggravated assault; that didn’t halt him from telling everyone helium was successful for murder. The archetypal happening Chris did was invent a pugnacious sobriquet. Crazy was what helium went by now.

Three months later, the DA offered him 15 years. Everyone connected the pod said 15 was bully for murder, truthful helium signed for it.

***

The photos of Crazy that his ma collected were lone from visitation. In the archetypal few, Crazy was dense with value (which helium said gave him much powerfulness successful his punch) and discolored eyes (which helium said was from each the fights helium won). This 1 was a breached nose. This 1 helium had his limb successful a cast. The remainder are afloat of deep, heavy slump (which helium said was from homesick fever).

“Why are each the backgrounds truthful different?” Susan, Chris’s sister, asked.

“Oh, helium has been successful truthful galore units: Garza West, Garza East, Beto, Connley, Alred, Coffield, Michaels,” Mom said.

“What for?” Susan asked.

“Heaven knows, Chris’s ever said helium got into fights but couldn’t speech astir them.”

Crazy ne'er told the aforesaid communicative twice. He was each you could beryllium astatine immoderate fixed time and had the tattoos to beryllium it: Crazy’s arms and backmost were covered with hook tattoos that had heavy achromatic lines, capsicum shading, and tons of skulls—he adjacent had the authorities of Texas connected his neck.

***

The past 2 weeks earlier Crazy was released connected parole, helium gathered each the idiosyncratic accusation of chap inmates helium could. With a grin and a hug, helium told them helium would support successful touch. Crazy adjacent told each his adjacent friends helium was going to nonstop them wealth to bargain snacks. But the past 2 days, his pretentious promises ate astatine his insides; helium hovered implicit the toilet each nighttime puking the pork noodle casserole. He puked truthful much, it seemed similar helium had puked each the casserole trays helium had ever eaten successful the past decade—which is simply a batch of pork noodle. The information was helium wasn’t acceptable to leave. He had ne'er prepared to leave. But Crazy was ne'er going to archer that.

Crazy wore ‘70s throwback Salvation Army apparel and stood astatine the past gross betwixt him and freedom, the closest helium had been successful 10 years. The aerial was fresher, the entity was babe bluish and heavy with nary clouds. The trees played euphony with the upwind arsenic it sifted done their branches.

He exhaled. “Okay, okay, okay,” helium whispered, squeezing his manus and looking down astatine the scars implicit his knuckle.

“Gate!” an serviceman down him yelled.

Crazy’s assemblage shrunk proceeding the voice. Did I bash thing wrong? Are they going to fto maine go?

Click. The doorway popped open, and the gross swung retired with a creak.

“Go connected boy. Ain’t gonna sprout you. You’re free,” the bureau said, giving him a shove.

Crazy’s close limb stepped connected the uneven concrete; for a moment, helium felt similar Armstrong. One tiny measurement for man. His caput reeled similar a movie: steps, hugs and kisses from Mom and sis. Breathe. Sit successful the car. Breathe. Soft seat, gone. Breathe, gone. Out of sight. Breathe.

The piny woods swallowed the reddish bricks surrounded by spirals of razor ligament and fence. He felt similar his bosom was plucked from his chest.

***

“Oh, Chris, hold until we get you thing to eat,” Mom squawked. His dada said nothing. Susan said nothing. Crazy said nothing.

“Chris, discontinue looking back,” Mom said with a sap smile.

“Huh? Oh, okay.” Breathe, Crazy thought.

The archetypal 5 years successful prison, each Crazy wanted was a homecoming party, but the past 5 years, helium didn’t privation anything.

“Well, present we are. We’re home! Come on, Chris. No one’s here. Just you, Susan, me, and Dad,” Mom said.

Crazy sat connected the plaything nether the oak tree: nary party, nary friends, conscionable family. The lone radical who reached retired to him the full 10 years. Nothing was the same. The location was painted brown. All the bikes were rusted, and everyone’s vehicles were new. But it was conscionable similar helium liked it, helium told himself. He sat connected the plaything until the prima went down, alone, conscionable similar helium wanted.

Dinner decked the table: aureate buttery mashed potatoes, roast beef with draining juices seeping retired the sides, greens with chunks of soggy bacon gasping for air.

“Just similar you ever liked it, aft a large Friday nighttime game,” Mom said.

“Just similar I liked it. Thanks, Mom.” Crazy slapped a heap of potatoes connected his plate.

Dad forked a wound of roast beef, eyed it, past shoved it successful his mouth.

His sister stared astatine Crazy with amazement. “Chris, present that there’s nary 1 listening to the telephone calls, archer america immoderate existent stories.” Susan’s eyes beamed.

The potatoes connected Crazy’s spoon, erstwhile aureate butter, turned to prison-styled potatoes: rotten with achromatic spots and brownish murphy skins. He dropped the spoon, stopped chewing.

The timepiece connected the partition clicked its small, integrative hands. A small, achromatic vigor successful the surviving room, conscionable implicit a whisper, played a George Strait song.

“The existent communicative . . . you see, good I . . .” Crazy stopped to hitch the h2o successful his eyes.

“Oh Chris, it’s okay. Tell america different time, honey,” Mom said.

“Yeah. Susan, you can’t inquire large questions similar that. That answer’s going to instrumentality weeks to tell,” Crazy said.

“Okay, bash you person a bully combat story?” Susan probed.

“Which one?” Crazy wiped his forehead, past trailed his digit implicit the scar supra his eyebrow.

“You got much than one?” She leaned implicit her plate.

“What, bash you deliberation it’s a locomotion down a religion pew? Everyone’s a criminal.”

Dinner floated by with vapid comments astir the repast and yet died out.

***

After dinner, Crazy laid down successful his ain furniture and was transported to different time: 1 helium nary longer recognized—the clip each infinitesimal was precious. The furniture felt soft, softer than it had ever felt. Time ticked up to twelve, past started down. In the dark, Crazy couldn’t archer if his eyes were unfastened oregon closed. His caput ran the perimeter of the room, visualizing the window, door, walls, and photos. Silence rang successful his ears, listening to himself breathe. Blood streamed done his veins, pulsing wrong him, similar a ticking clip bomb. The furniture turned stiff and hard; helium felt uncomfortable, alienated.

A imagination haunted him: Somebody, somewhere, chasing him. Room aft room, helium slammed the doors down him for safety, but the doors were ne'er the close size to acceptable the frame; they were smaller, fractional the size. Run, run, run. Twisting successful blank abandoned rooms similar a maze with nary end, but nary clip to stop. No clip to rest.

“Chris!”

“Huh? Yeah?” Crazy said.

“Get up. Coffee’s ready,” Dad said.

“Yeah.” Crazy ran his hands implicit his face, trying to relax. “I’ll beryllium retired successful a minute.” He rolled retired of furniture and shuffled to the porch.

“Black?” Dad asked, rocking backmost connected a woody chair.

“Yeah, that’s each I portion anymore.”

“That’s good,” helium said, handing Crazy the different cupful connected the java table. “It’ll enactment hairsbreadth connected your chest.” Dad smiled and slurped the apical of his cup.

“When I worked successful the fields, I utilized to ticker the prima travel up similar this,” Crazy said.

“Fields?”

“Hoe squad. Fields. It’s the worst job. The aforesaid occupation arsenic slaves successful America: picking vegetables and cutting writer with a hoe,” Crazy said.

“Sounds similar a bully occupation for youngsters trying to sound the borderline off.”

“You would think, but that’s wherever I got into my archetypal fight.”

“Ahh? You win?” Dad leaned in, staring astatine Crazy.

“Yeah, good almost. But winning’s not ever a triumph due to the fact that some of you lose—and a nonaccomplishment is simply a win. So, a combat is simply a win-win oregon a loss. Out of the 100 and 5 fights I’ve had, I’ve ne'er mislaid one.”

“Son, I don’t deliberation you woke up yet.” Dad glanced down astatine Crazy’s cup.

Crazy looked retired astatine the sheen of the dew covering the grass. “The writer is what started it,” Crazy said successful a daze. “The pb enactment said I wasn’t cleaning my row.” Crazy trailed off, searching the immense bluish sky. “Then, helium called maine a achromatic boy. That was erstwhile Krooked Kracker elbowed maine and threw a enarthrosis up.” Crazy swallowed. “That’s erstwhile I knew I had to. So, I yelled back, ‘You’re a boy, boy.’ They each stopped rocking aft that. Well, the achromatic ones. They threw down their aggies.” Crazy sat the cupful connected the table. “I got 2 swings in. He got maine successful the eye. I deed the ungraded and got capsicum sprayed. Then, the lieutenant fired his pistol.” Crazy tapped his fingers connected his leg. “I ne'er missed a leaf of writer aft that oregon wasn’t called retired connected it.” Crazy picked up the acold java and swallowed a large gulp. “I ne'er missed a leaf of grass. Never.”

Dad sat his cupful down, stood up to leave, past said, “It was amended the past clip you told maine that story.”

Crazy watched Dad’s car caput to enactment until it faded into the horizon. His telephone buzzed. His thumbs fumbled with the touchscreen. “Damn screen, where’s the buttons at?” Twenty minutes later, helium texted Nathan back: Yeah, travel over, bro. I’m astatine the location chillin.

***

When Nathan arrived, helium walked up the structure and gave Crazy a large homecoming hug. Crazy couldn’t support his eyes from watering; helium wasn’t definite if it was the hug oregon compassion. They sat connected the structure with a circular of caller coffee.

“Yeah, situation is similar a combat club: the much clip you do, the amended you get,” Crazy said.

“So, you ever get your ass whooped?” Nathan asked.

“Hell no. I ne'er mislaid a fight.” Crazy’s manus shook, sipping the lies down with achromatic gold.

“I retrieve this 1 time, I sold a ticker and the feline said, ‘Oh, you’re jacked.’ That’s erstwhile I stole disconnected connected him,” Crazy said.

“Stole off?”

“I deed him successful the mouth, took his bony retired with that punch. Took my ticker and the achromatic container helium had.”

“Black bag?”

“Instant coffee. It’s trash, really. After that, they shipped me. The instrumentality said I was a danger.” Crazy pulled aerial done his teeth. “How galore fights person you been successful retired here?”

“Uhh,” Nathan blushed. “None. No 1 fights retired here.”

“Oh,” Crazy relaxed. “No 1 fights?”

“If you combat astatine work, you’re fired.”

“No fights? What happens if idiosyncratic disrespects you? You know, calls you retired of your name?”

“Uhh, you, well, they don’t.” Nathan formed his eyes down to his phone. “Well, I’ve got to go, Chris. Got to prime the kids up.”

“Oh yeah. Don’t you person a son?”

“I got three. They each popped retired a twelvemonth apart. The oldest is successful 3rd grade.”

Crazy looked astatine Nathan’s young face, wondering if helium looked similar a father.

***

The adjacent 3 months, Crazy stayed successful his room. He was stuck connected TikTok and YouTube, looking up situation stories: gangs, fights, horrors, and testimonies. Prison, prison, prison. He learned much astir situation than a captive knew. He learned truthful much, helium felt it built up connected him, pushing him to a caller standard: ace penitentiary.

“Super penitentiary, yeah,” Crazy said retired loud.

Crazy was confined to his room. He didn’t similar the feeling of opening doors; erstwhile helium did, helium closed them quickly. The lone clip helium near the location was connected ft to sojourn the section HEB. He pushed an bare cart. He loved to respect the flashy, integrative logos, antithetic varieties of chips, and junk food. As soon arsenic helium passed different shopper, helium stiffened and furled his eyebrows. Crazy looked into shoppers’ eyes similar helium was going to say: What? Say something.

But helium was scared—scared of the questions they would inquire astir his tattoos. He knew they knew. He felt everyone knew helium was caller out.

Crazy hated seeing chap convicts. He could spot them easily: the mode they walked and the achromatic ink connected their body. He ever quickened his gait and gave a beardown nod. His assemblage turned into a robotic quality connected a ngo to immoderate important place—which was ne'er the lawsuit for Crazy—but helium felt the request to prevarication with his body. The astir terrifying speech Crazy could deliberation of was the 1 wherever helium was working, however helium was adjusting, due to the fact that truthfully, helium was bushed of lying.

***

One day, Crazy sat astatine the meal array eating a vessel of Top Ramen noodle soup.

“Chris, you cognize it’s May?” Mom said.

“May?” Chris slurped noodles.

“The summertime is coming. You cognize however overmuch enactment goes connected successful the summer?”

“Yeah, and it’s hot.”

“Chris, it’s been six months. It’s been agelong enough. Your begetter told maine to archer you to instrumentality his motortruck out.”

“Drive his truck?! The Silverado? That happening is big.”

“Don’t commencement with me! It’s the aforesaid size arsenic your aged truck,” Mom said.

“I ne'er had a truck. I’ve ne'er had a job.” Crazy picked the vessel up and chugged down the salty, yellowish sludge. “They privation to spot past enactment history. I ain’t got any.”

“Chris, honey. You can’t get past if you don’t get a job.”

“The jobs are history. Didn’t you spot what the quality said astir AI?! It’s going to instrumentality each our jobs!”

Mom grabbed the rag connected the array and wiped the cleanable corner, dumped the rag successful the sink, past turned to Crazy. “The keys are connected the hook.”

Crazy grabbed the keys, got successful the truck, and headed down the road. The unit of doing thing for the archetypal clip compounded. Every prevarication Crazy told astir the occupation helium had successful the past rattled successful his head, similar bouncing marbles. Crazy was truthful utilized to doing nothing; the thought of doing thing triggered his combat oregon flight. Job, car, housing, insurance, bills, wife, kids: each equaled responsibility. Life was excessively analyzable for Crazy. He couldn’t prevarication himself retired of this one, truthful helium did the lone happening helium knew would bring him home.

***

Main Street was arsenic dormant arsenic it had ever been, but the courthouse was engaged arsenic a beehive swarming with squad cars. Crazy locked eyes connected a trooper arsenic helium rolled done the 4 way. The airy turned green. Crazy froze. His bosom leaped wrong his chest.

The bull stared astatine him and the beforehand licence plate. Crazy stomped connected the gas, burning the backmost tires.

Lights flickered, reddish and blue. The pursuit lone took 10 minutes.

Crazy jumped retired earlier parking the motortruck and laid down connected the brushed asphalt. He grinned erstwhile the acold handcuffs clicked astir his wrists. He laughed erstwhile the bull screamed astatine him to reply the questions. Crazy relaxed erstwhile helium sat connected the hard integrative backseat; helium felt escaped looking done the metallic bars lining the windows. The plexiglass successful beforehand of him had scratches that appeared random until helium looked closer. He could marque retired the words: ace penitentiary.

“Well, Superman, you’re headed backmost to the pen,” the bull said.

***

Crazy sat connected a rusted, circular stool successful a acold hard cell. He flipped unfastened a transcript of The Odyssey. The question dawned connected him: Could a warrior ever instrumentality home?

*

Runner-up, Fiction:
Brian Stevens, “A Hairy Tale”

“The hairsbreadth was different carnal entirely.” Funny, dark, surreal, and wholly surprising: “A Hairy Tale” by Brian Stevens follows the weird beingness of the narrator’s cellmate’s hair. It is besides profoundly strange, successful the champion imaginable way.

–Elizabeth McCracken

A Hairy Tale
by Brian Stevens

My celly’s hairsbreadth is simply a nightmare. The worldly conscionable goes everywhere. Every morning, my archetypal chore is to hitch each his hairsbreadth disconnected the floor. I cleanable the compartment to nary avail.

***

Ants occupied the compartment erstwhile I archetypal arrived. They crawled successful done the cracks and marched on the walls. Any nutrient oregon soma that crossed their paths was rapidly devoured. Their bites would permission itchy reddish welts connected my hands and feet. I fought them bony and nail with everything I had: babe powder, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, bleach. I was capable to dilatory them down; arsenic summertime ended, the upwind cooled and they yet went away. Then, lone the hairsbreadth remained.

***

The hairsbreadth was different carnal together, but dissimilar the ants, it could not beryllium contained. The fans successful the compartment created tornadoes of tangles that clung to thing they touched. There was hairsbreadth connected my bed; my clothes; successful my rima and nose; my java erstwhile I took a drink; and the drain erstwhile I utilized the sink. Hair came backmost around, got stuck successful the fans, and erstwhile I rinsed my washcloth, hairsbreadth stuck to my hands. The hairsbreadth began to instrumentality connected a beingness of its own: nary substance however overmuch I cleaned, I was ne'er alone.

The hairs were long, black, and curly similar the pubes of a buffalo. Bundles of them would rotation crossed the crushed similar tumbleweeds blowing successful the upwind of the Wild West. Sometimes, I would mistake a stray strand for a cockroach arsenic it scurried from 1 broadside of the compartment to the other. Hairs strung on the shelves similar breached spiderwebs successful abandoned basements. The achromatic hairs were bad, but the achromatic ones were worse: they were invisible to the bare oculus and could fell successful plain sight. They were ghosts of dormant hairs past that would proceed to haunt maine for eternity. Something drastic had to beryllium done.

***

No mean razor would ever beryllium capable to chop down that wood of frizz. I searched for immoderate scissors but had to settee for a shank—a soiled feline named Sanchez sold it to maine for six soups and 7 shots of coffee. He told maine it was truthful sharp, it could slit a pig’s pharynx with a azygous slice. I took his connection and kept it cautiously wrapped successful a johnny sack. I surely did not privation to get caught with specified a superior portion of contraband, truthful I had to enactment soon.

That night, I asked my celly to chopped his hair; helium refused. He knew it made a messiness mundane but didn’t look precise acrophobic astir cleaning it up. He was besides profoundly spiritual and claimed his hairsbreadth gave him spot similar Samson.

As helium drank himself to sleep, I thought astir cutting immoderate of his hairsbreadth but past decided it each needed to beryllium shaved. Upon further inspection, I realized: adjacent with a shaved head, his hairsbreadth would inactive turn back, and that would ne'er do. No, his full caput would person to travel off.

*

First place, Nonfiction:
Deanna Carney, “Sit. Stay.”

In a fewer abbreviated pages, Deanna Carney’s wonderfully written “Sit. Stay.” manages to look astatine a full beingness and contemplates decease and emotion and nary little than the quality of time, each done the animals that the narrator has known since childhood. It is afloat of quality and sadness and the paradox of loving animals erstwhile the quality satellite is excessively much.

–Elizabeth McCracken

Sit. Stay.
by Deanna Carney

Seven cats shared our cramped flat successful Virginia.

Family lore fills successful mendacious memories: a pungent unreality of clumped kitty litter, discarded brew bottles, marijuana, my soiled diapers.

Did my biologic father’s heroin addiction person a smell?

***

A tomcat, Rocky, was the astir beloved; his representation enshrined successful poesy I inherited 2 decades later, aft my father’s heroin overdose. In hindsight, the sanction seems to beryllium a foreshadowing.

I had to beryllium younger than two. Momma hadn’t yet escaped rapidly to Texas, her tegument a carry-on container afloat of storm-hued bruises. She hadn’t been ejected from the spot and flown done the windshield of a car. She hadn’t died, leaving my begetter with thing much than memories and cats.

***

In Texas, my Nannie and her caller hubby fed, clothed, and enactment maine to furniture aft Momma died. Well, they indispensable have, due to the fact that I survived. And determination was nary 1 other to bash it; astatine least, nary 1 wanted to, arsenic Nannie would aboriginal often punctual me.

Someone gave maine a puppy: a heap of ebony fluff we named Blackie. He stayed successful the add-on country that housed the h2o softener. While helium bathed maine successful the perfume of puppy breath, I licked fallen stone brackish pellets meant to information the hard Hill Country h2o moving done pipes beneath our single-wide trailer.

One day, portion I dipped my fingers successful a bucket of sudsy h2o Nannie was utilizing to lavation our small brownish truck, my puppy ran away. I cried each the brackish from my assemblage arsenic Nannie and I called retired for him, our two-person hunt enactment scouting the vicinity successful vain.

I had to beryllium younger than four—I inactive slept successful the country that I utilized to stock with Momma; my toys were inactive successful the closet wherever her apparel utilized to be.

***

I wore a formal and socks with lace the time Nannie and her hubby became my caller ma and dad. The antheral down the desk, making it legal, seemed overmuch similar the Wizard of Oz. We went to a lot, picked retired a double-wide that had a vessel of fake effect displayed successful the kitchen.

Dad brought maine a dachshund the colour of a dried bloodstain—his sanction was Mister. Barrel-bodied and surefooted, Mister was not adorably mini-sized: astatine the extremity of a leash, helium whitethorn arsenic good person been a trained sled dog. Any effort to locomotion him ended with maine dragged crossed the asphalt down his drumstick legs.

Unable to carnivore my tears, Dad rehomed Mister. I begged for a sibling. Instead, Mom and I went to prime retired a puppy from an apricot-colored spot of poodles. I named him Danny Boy, undoubtedly nether Mom’s influence. Many nights, I carried Danny Boy to furniture with me, lone to aftermath up and find him successful Mom’s room. From time one, that canine was decidedly hers.

I indispensable person been younger than five. I hadn’t graduated from kindergarten yet. Dad hadn’t been crushed down the steering instrumentality of an eighteen-wheeler. Mom hadn’t gone to a infirmary successful Missouri and returned without him. Loving her hadn’t go painful. Years passed betwixt america unsocial successful that house. Silence, anger, tears.

***

Walking location from the autobus halt 1 autumn afternoon, I heard a kitten’s pleading outcry beneath a garbage can. I took him home; bathed his agelong tabby fur; begged to support him; and named him Tigea. Eventually, I taught him to locomotion connected a leash.

I was younger than fifteen. I hadn’t recovered retired I was pregnant. I hadn’t tally distant with my overmuch older boyfriend. I hadn’t felt fearfulness and bravery swirl wrong me. I wasn’t yet married. I wasn’t yet an adult.

***

We recovered a German shepherd premix with floppy ears and named him Bogie: wherever our archetypal girl was born. In the adjacent 5 years, we had a 2nd daughter; then, a son. I had ne'er known emotion arsenic heavy arsenic what my bosom held for them. Life was giggles and tiny toes.

I was younger than twenty-one. I was inactive capable to buss my children earlier bed, each night. My bosom inactive knew happiness. I wasn’t yet divorced. My children weren’t kept from me. I hadn’t begun drinking.

***

At a state station, I was offered a tiny reddish pup: the past of a litter, the runt nary 1 wanted. I named her Lexi.

I taught her to sit, shake, and laic down. We went to parks and swam successful rivers. I curled connected the level adjacent to her, crying tears onto her copper overgarment erstwhile she died successful the surviving room.

I was younger than thirty-nine. I hadn’t learned the afloat effect of surrendering my bosom to idiosyncratic who would assistance maine destruct it. Or however my effort to drown the satellite wounded anyone, different than myself. I hadn’t noticed however acold I had traveled from God oregon begun my eight-year condemnation for DUI.

***

I americium years distant from the breached bosom and caput that brought maine here; months distant from the state of unfastened skies and 2nd chances. I person had clip to beryllium inactive with my past and marque bid with its voice. I’ve recovered support. I cognize love.

One day, erstwhile my instauration is afloat formed connected the different broadside of this fence, I volition get different dog, assured that nary substance what comes, I have: the spot to sit, and the bid to enactment done it, adjacent erstwhile it rains—

like cats and dogs

*

Runner-up, Nonfiction:
Matthew Mendoza, “Zen and the Art of Civil Commitment”

“Zen and the Art of Civil Commitment” is simply a clear-eyed effort describing, with precision, elegance, and adjacent acheronian humor, taking a questionnaire that begins the process of civilian commitment, the Kafka-esque signifier of keeping enactment offenders incarcerated aft their sentences are served. It is also, without sentiment, falsity, oregon self-importance, astir looking for redemption wrong of situation done some words and deeds, art, and different people.

–Elizabeth McCracken

Zen and the Art of Civil Commitment
by Matthew Mendoza

Yesterday, I was called to the Unit Education Building for a intelligence exam. There, the proxy informed maine the State of Texas selected maine for the Civil Commitment Process. I floated extracurricular my body. The proxy gave maine a bluish pencil, a trial booklet, and a scantron for my answers.

***

Generally speaking, The Civil Commitment Process is designed to drawback “Predators with Behavioral Abnormalities”—the intelligence exam is the opening of that process. Failing the exam oregon refusing to instrumentality it is impervious of the request for civilian commitment.

Of course, I took it. I answered questions like: Do you ever consciousness similar a soulless husk? Does your eyesight travel and go? Is precocious jumping your favourite sport?

***

Texas inmates are excluded from galore things involving the ineligible system: kid support, civilian proceedings, divorces, and spot seizures tin each beryllium commenced without the inmate present. But that’s not all: an inmate whitethorn not adjacent beryllium notified until aft the judgement. (An absorbing broadside note: a Texas inmate can’t interact with the parole board, unless they prosecute an attorney.)

Civil committedness is simply a small antithetic but not much: it circumvents the Constitution, claiming to beryllium a nationalist information oregon civilian proceeding alternatively of a transgression one—even though the effect is the same. The quality is: the authorities indispensable supply grounds an inmate is an immediate, continual menace upon release. The intelligence exam is portion of the state’s case.

***

A batch of the questions, including those three, repeated successful immoderate signifier oregon another. About a twelve times. As I answered and re-answered the questions, I wondered if consistency was the metric. I wondered if determination was an overlay, a graph that could amusement change. I wondered if determination is thing metaphysical astir definite sports; if so, I would adhd breakdancing and sportfishing to the list.

I conscionable don’t cognize however you cipher points for contemplation oregon joy, if winning is the lone metric.

***

I committed a horrible crime. It was inexcusable. I wounded my victim. I destroyed the respect and spot of the radical I emotion forever.

As atrocious arsenic that is, it isn’t all. During my archetypal years of prison, I was connected some sides of each single, fucked up happening 1 idiosyncratic tin bash to another. Part of it was survival; portion of it was anger. Regardless, each of it was wrong—and nary of it I tin ever marque right.

I person nary tendency to bash transgression nor interruption adjacent the astir mundane laws. I don’t attraction if I ever permission prison. A free-world enactment offender has small value. (You don’t privation a enactment offender arsenic a co-worker oregon a neighbor, truthful prevention the pep talk. Besides, that’s not what this is.) Life aft situation is punitive; successful prison, nary 1 pretends otherwise.

I don’t attraction astir dope situation authorities oregon “The Price is Right.” In the eyes of the medication and astir inmates, that makes maine a mystery—and a enigma means: I’m not a precise bully inmate.

There is thing mysterious astir the things I attraction about: speechmaking and writing, collecting each the playwrights successful the Library of America publication series, the awards and honors I’ve received contempt being successful prison. I attraction astir uncovering a mode to redeem myself.

***

I americium the Assistant Program Coordinator for the assisted surviving dorm successful my unit. Part of what I bash is assistance inmates with disabilities and mobility issues. Sometimes, I assistance these men get and enactment sober. I observe their recoveries—from aesculapian events oregon their addictions—with cakes, coffee, and movies. Sometimes, if idiosyncratic proves they tin enactment sober, I assistance wage disconnected their cause debts. I bash each of this retired of my ain locker. Most of the wealth comes from awards and stipends I’ve earned arsenic a writer.

I deliberation redemption, similar faith, is personal.

In prison, I person value: arsenic a writer and a teacher, adjacent if it is an incredibly flawed system. My eyesight and my ideas astir sports aside, I americium contented with the satellite I’ve created for myself successful this community.

I consciousness fulfilled: a measurement connected a travel towards peace.

*

Runner-up, Nonfiction:
Steven Perez, “Aunt Terry and Josiah King”

In “Aunt Terry and Josiah King,” Steven Perez writes beautifully and wrenchingly astir the heavy symptom and separation from those helium loves—his dying aunt, his large daughter—and astir looking for intolerable consolation successful what he’s near with. The radical successful this effort are truthful good drawn they volition interruption your heart.

–Elizabeth McCracken

Aunt Terry and Josiah King
by Steven Perez

My mother’s sister was connected her deathbed. A surgeon had chopped her open, gutted her. He was expected to chopped retired scar insubstantial from 2 surgeries she had 30 years earlier; parts of her intestines were not decently digesting food. But helium didn’t chopped retired capable of the atrocious intestines, and she didn’t wanna spell done different surgery.

I called my parent astatine five-thirty successful the morning. “She’s already passing,” she said. “It mightiness beryllium her past day.”

***

My girl was six months pregnant. She was surviving with her baby’s begetter successful a store flat with 1 bedroom, a kitchenette, and a restroom with a stand-up shower. The baby’s paternal gramps had fixed them an aged three-bedroom house. But the location was excessively rundown to unrecorded in.

My girl applied for Section 8 lodging aid. While she waited for assistance, her baby’s begetter worked connected the house, but helium didn’t person immoderate wealth for the materials—he had been precocious diagnosed with schizophrenia. The doc said helium couldn’t enactment until helium got better.

My girl worked nights astatine Wienerschnitzel. She had spent the past 4 years hooked connected meth, successful and outta jail, and past had been wholly disconnected the meth for 5 months—since the time she recovered retired she was pregnant. She was twenty-five. My lone child.

The kid successful her womb was a boy. My archetypal grandchild.

***

My daughter, my mother, and her sister lived connected the Gulf Coast successful Corpus Christi, Texas: eighty-five miles southeast from wherever I lived successful prison. I was locked up astatine the Connally Unit, a maximum-security situation successful South Texas. It was January 9^th, 2026. I had been locked up for the past nineteen years, eleven much to spell earlier I was eligible for parole.

I lived successful a warehouse dorm, wherever ten-by-five-foot, one-man cubicles were racked unneurotic by the dozens. Inmates successful white—most of america Black oregon brown—were scattered passim the dorm successful and retired of our cubicles. Some of america sat connected benches successful the halfway of the dorm, watching ESPN highlights of Houston Texan games; others watched ABC News connected different TV, wherever an ICE cause gunned down a achromatic pistillate successful her SUV.

I stood up from my cubicle: 2 charcoal-colored, synthetic wool blankets folded together, making four. A linen sheet. Plastic mattress connected an robust bunk. A stack of books connected the floor: Scoot McCloud’s Understanding Comics, Volume IV of Peter Kreeft’s Socrates’ Children, The Georgia Review, Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well Educated Mind, and Alec Karakatsanis’s Copaganda. On the desk: a breviary, a achromatic integrative rosary, a tablet, and receptor buds.

***

On my mode to the schoolhouse, guys from 4 Building—a  three-story-high quadrate factual building—hollered astatine maine from down the metallic grating of their compartment windows. Razor ligament fences separated maine from them.

“Tell ’em to get america outta here!” They said. “Theres nary officers successful the building. No rover to unfastened our doors. No laws successful the power picket. We’re trying to spell to school.”

“All right,” I said. “I gotchu.”

Daylight had hardly broken. The aerial was foggy and thick. I saw a woody windmill covered successful bluish and yellowish greeting glories. I said to myself: They springiness glory to God done their beauty.

I sat unsocial successful the mediate of a classroom, surrounded by woody tables and white, integrative chairs. In beforehand of me, a chalkboard connected a turquoise partition with 4 questions:

What are immoderate ways to analyse a story?

What makes a bully story?

Why should books beryllium banned?

What stories should beryllium allowed successful the classroom?

The partition to my close wasn’t a partition astatine all; it was shatterproof glass. The prima revealed himself. I saw, extracurricular the glass, 2 much factual buildings; 1 was 8 Building, with compartment numbers connected the broadside underneath the windows: 72, 64, 56, 69, 61, 53. The different gathering a gym—no windows.

My worktable was afloat of papers, envelopes, and folders; drafts of handwritten situation memoirs; c copies of typewritten drafts already submitted for publication; packets of lit mag info; submission guidelines; a Poets & Writers magazine; an update from Malcom, a writer astatine PEN America; my tablet; and my earbuds.

I needed to write. I needed a changeable of coffee. I needed to telephone my parent and cheque connected my aunt.

I called my mother.

“I’m astatine the nursing home,” she said. “I stepped extracurricular of the room, truthful I tin speech to you. Her feet are red. The blood’s not circulating to her feet. I googled it. Means she has lone astir forty-eight hours left. The caregiver bathed her. When she turned her connected her side, she reached for the handrail connected the broadside of the bed, but it wasn’t there. She was moved to different country with a antithetic bed. She tin inactive hear, though. The proceeding is the past happening to go. I enactment euphony connected for her. You wanna speech to her?”

“Yes. I do.”

She enactment the telephone adjacent to her ear.

“Hi, Tía,” I said. “I conscionable called to accidental I emotion you with each my heart. I’m praying for you. We’ll beryllium unneurotic 1 day.”

***

A fewer days earlier, she asked me: “Son, are they ever gonna fto you outta there?”

“Yes, Tía. They’re gonna nonstop maine to school. And erstwhile I finish, they’re gonna fto maine outta here.”

“Steven, I had a dream. You were lasting successful beforehand of maine with your hands handcuffed down your back. Then, they took the handcuffs off.” She sang maine a opus from Stevie Wonder: I conscionable called . . . to accidental . . . I emotion you . . . And I mean it, from the bottommost of my heart.

***

After we hung up, I opened up my tablet assemblage app to a caller representation of her and my mother. My aunt was sitting astatine a round, woody array with her near manus wrapped astir a styrofoam Wienerschitzel cupful connected the table; her close manus rested supra her stomach. She was wearing a pinkish short-sleeved blouse with achromatic and achromatic polka dots, a closed-lipped smile. The abbreviated region betwixt her chemoreceptor and her chin revealed she wasn’t wearing her dentures. Her nose  was pointy, her cheeks chubby, and she had achromatic and grey hairsbreadth with a receding hairline. On the array sat a insubstantial vessel with what looked similar a portion of deep-fried pome pastry with smashed up gum bites. My parent was lasting beside my aunt, her near limb resting astir the backmost of my aunt’s cervix and shoulders. Leaning connected her and wrapping her assemblage astir her, astir smothering. My parent was wearing a lavender blouse with a achromatic skirt. Her hairsbreadth was brown, her eyebrows thins. Her breached chemoreceptor that ne'er healed right. She was looking down astatine the dessert tray. Her near feature resting connected the close broadside of my aunt’s head.

A coating of the Last Supper hung connected the partition down them.

I hadn’t been capable to clasp my aunt for astir 2 decades. Would she adjacent admit maine with a taper fade, a look afloat of achromatic and achromatic reaching for my chest? She was excessively sick to visit. My beingness was tied up successful electrical razor-wire fences and smothered successful concrete.

***

During our originative penning workshop, a treatment ensued: the quality betwixt creating literate creation for its ain involvement and creating literate creation for work and a paycheck.

Our facilitator, Mr. Hayes—a achromatic feline with a reddish mustache and a six-day beard, who stooped his caput to locomotion done the doorway, wearing a bluish plaid cowboy garment with pearl buttons—said work was thing helium ne'er truly cared about. “I’m much funny successful producing bully art,” helium said. “It’s not astir the wealth oregon publication.” I thought astir Kafka.

In Mr. Haye’s mind, we could walk the adjacent 10 years connected a five-thousand-word effort and inactive not finish. In my mind, I was like, yes, we request to enactment focused, determined successful producing literate creation for its ain sake.

At the aforesaid time, astir of our families are surviving successful poverty. Our children and grandchildren request a location they telephone their own. They request a assemblage education. We request to wage lawyers to get america outta here. And we request to physique our ain portfolios: truthful the escaped satellite tin spot we’re not the monsters the state’s lawyers said we were.

It’s casual to accidental it’s not astir the wealth oregon work erstwhile you and your families’ lives don’t beryllium connected your writing.

***

By 8 o’clock, that night, I was lying successful my bunk, praying a rosary for my aunt. My parent was astatine home, getting acceptable to spell backmost to the nursing home.

I woke up astatine six successful the greeting and laic successful my bunk, fingering rosary beads portion reciting Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and Glory Be’s. For meal I had a pouch of Vienna sausages and a generic cocoa macromolecule shingle poured implicit a vessel of generic Cinnamon Toast Crunch. An atrocious odor of mildew lingered successful the air.

I remembered my Aunt Terry successful the room cooking scrambled eggs mixed with potatoes, pork chops successful salsa, and refried beans. The odor of homemade flour tortillas connected the comal.

I sat astatine my table successful the bunk, staring astatine a pencil draught of thoughts connected sheets of college-ruled paper. At 10 o’clock successful the morning, I called my mother.

“She’s gone, son. She passed distant past night, astatine nine-fifteen. She was glowing, successful bed. The Lord took her.”

My mother’s lone sister. Her past remaining sibling.

I sat and listened to my parent weep. “She’s not suffering anymore, Mom. She’s with the Lord. And God is present giving you a grandson.”

“You’re right, son. They accidental that for each idiosyncratic who dies, different is born. She wants to sanction him Josiah King.”

*

Biographies

Elizabeth McCracken is the writer of 9 books of fabrication and nonfiction, including her astir caller book, A Long Game. She was the victor of the 2014 Story Prize for Thunderstruck and Other Stories and has been a finalist for the National Book Award. Her stories person won 3 Pushcart Prizes, 2 National Magazine Awards, and person appeared successful 5 editions of The Best American Short Stories. She taught fabrication astatine The University of Texas astatine Austin wherever she held the rubric of the James A. Michener Chair successful Fiction. She retired successful May 2026 aft 35 years of teaching and moved to England with her family.

Charles Hill is simply a writer successful Texas.

Brian Stevens is simply a writer successful his 3rd twelvemonth of the Pen City Writers people and is located successful the Connally Unit Texas State Prison.

Deanna Carney is simply a writer and a recipient of the 2025 American Short Fiction Insider Prize successful fabrication for “Breach.” Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Deanna is simply a arrogant parent of 3 and an excitable introvert. For her, penning is simply a shared transportation to parents she mislaid excessively soon: a mode to share, talk out, and love.

Matthew Mendoza is simply a playwright and writer who dabbles successful fabrication and nonfiction. His archetypal publication of poems, DIY Prison Project, was published successful 2025 by Evening Street Press. Since 2018, his plays person been produced arsenic podcasts and performed astatine festivals passim the country. What’s Prison Like? was a 27th Annual Webby Award honoree successful the Crime & Justice category.

Steven Perez is simply a chap of the University of Texas astatine Austin English Department. He’s been studying originative penning nether the writer and prof Deb Olin Unferth for 9 years. He’s a subordinate of the Pen City Writers. He’s assigned to the Connally Unit maximum information situation successful Kenedy, Texas. He’s presently awaiting transportation to gain a BA grade and an MA grade successful humanities astatine the University of Houston Clear Lake. He was the 2025 American Short Fiction Insider Prize Runner-up successful Nonfiction for “The Life and Mind of the Prisoner.”

Sergio Muro is simply a writer from Laredo, Texas. He is simply a Senior Editor and the Insider Prize Director astatine American Short Fiction and an exertion for El Alboroto astatine The Rumpus. Sergio is astatine enactment connected a abbreviated communicative postulation centered astir the Mexican diaspora.

Our sincerest gratitude to the Insider Prize volunteers for their clip and dedication to this project: Robin Chotzinoff, Eric Dexheimer, Chanda Grubbs, Alice Kim Hawari, Seth MacLowery, Abhijith Ravinutala, Sol Wooten, Tommy Mouton of Huston-Tillotson University, and American Short Fiction Senior Editor Adam Soto.

*

About HT’s Institute for Justice and Equity

Huston-Tillotson University’s Institute for Justice and Equity (IJE) is dedicated to advancing and applying justness and equity knowledge. IJE aims to infuse equity principles and practices into what we bash astatine HT—teaching, learning, research, administration, service, and assemblage engagement.

About Huston-Tillotson University

Huston-Tillotson University is simply a backstage historically achromatic assemblage successful Austin, Texas. Established successful 1875, Huston-Tillotson University was the archetypal instauration of higher learning successful Austin.