That's right - Chuck Palahniuk reviews five to six of our editors' top picks from among the best workshop submissions every month. It's important to appreciate that this is a Writers Community and Workshop above all other things - not a contest. There's a real value in just immersing yourself in the process and finding out how your work develops without fixation on a particular outcome. That said, it's an honor to make it into the circle of Top Submissions. And it's a chance to have your work appear in our upcoming Anthology. When the time is right, we hope a story of yours will make this list, too. In the meantime, study these carefully to learn as much as you can from Chuck's critiques. You'll have an objective viewpoint when you read a story that isn't your own and study Chuck's feedback for that author. It's a vital piece of learning in our curriculum.

February 2009

Though Life is Hard, We Carry On - Gus Moreno

The Barber of Deadsville - Mark Vanderpool

Optimism - Gayle Towell

Jonah, No Worries - J. Kabol

The Routine - Keith Buie

March 2009

Live This Down - nkrolicki

Committed To Memory - MDEVITO1973

Vesuvius - nikronomican

The Idiot’s Guide to Wilderness Survival - nickerickson

Heavier Petting - Brien Piech

April 2009

Goddess - moderino

Survived - Gus Moreno

After Calm, Storm - corellion

True Love Waits - jangofett555

Out of the Woods - Camo

Lemming - mavtj

May 2009

Charlie - Chris Lewis Carter

The Pottering - Paul B. Metzger

The Last Run, Chapter One - J.S. Lohr

The Lost Art of Citizen's Arrest - Jason M. Fylan

Condemned - Richard Thomas

June 2009

The Great-God Bird of Arkansas - Wil Dalton

Invisible Graffiti - Adam Skorupskas

Bike - BH Ebert

Logan Outbreak - J. R. Strohmeyer

The Line Forms On the Right - Amanda Gowin

The Soldier - Phil Jourdan

July 2009

Melody - Michael De Vito

Plucked - cnicholson

Mr. Stack - paper-crane

Flash - frazdan

The Waiting Room - TW Jones

Zombie Whorehouse - Wil Dalton

August 2009

No Sex in the Morning - Keith Buie

These Hands - Kasey Carpenter

This is What Stephanie Says - Jason M. Fylan

Good Deal On a Gun - Blake Moscatello

Careers Day - Adam Saifer

Diamonds - Brandon Tietz

September 2009

Gasoline - Fred Venturini

Duck Duck! - James Adkins

It's Your Time - Keith Buie

Invariance - Christopher Lites

Ingredients - Richard Lemmer

Michael Jackson Isn't Jesus - Rahvin O. Aysius

October 2009

Face Space - Brandon Tietz

Control - Chris Smith

Paper - Gayle Towell

Dumb Muscle - Gus Moreno

Dyer - Richard Thomas

November 2009

Dietary by Brandon Tietz

A Vodka Kind of Girl - Matt Egan

Western Eyes - Brien Piech

Mating Calls - Tony Liebhard

F for Fake - Tyler Jones

Relics - Joe Johnson

December 2009

Love in Standard Definition - Fred Venturini

Overboard - Peter Bentzen

Tatterdemalion Peregrination - Adam Daniel Joseph

Chasing Ghosts (revision) - Richard Thomas

All In - Kasey Carpenter

Things Falling Apart - Blake Gentry

January 2010

Tiger, Tiger - B.H. Ebert

Carousels - Austin James

Engines, O-Rings, and Astronauts - Jason M. Fylan

Little Toy Soldiers - Dan Lobo

Phantom Pain - Tony Liebhard

Revenge - Davey Watts