2026 Fellowship Winners List

We are thrilled to announce that the 2026 Pen Parentis Writing Fellow will be Ellen Stearns of Larchmont, NY! She is the mother of a 5yr old child and is the winner of the $2000 prize plus a year of mentorship. Her winning story, “Cold Comfort” will be published in DREAMERS creative writing magazine later in the year.

“Cold Comfort” is spectacular short fiction which shows Ellen’s talent: touching and intimate, yet breaking the bounds of reality, in under 350 words, “Cold Comfort” shows through allegory as well as description what it is like to lose a beloved mother in adulthood. It has everything that a winning Pen Parentis story should contain: beautiful language, clarity of purpose and thought, surprising twists, breathless intensity, and deep emotional truth. All told with simple directness in a vivid scene.

After eight years in an editorial position, Ellen left publishing to raise her child. She is eager to get back into the book industry, though this time as a writer. A graduate of Middlebury College and University of Chicago, with a memorable year at Oxford, this is Ellen’s first big writing success. We wish her lots of joy in developing her creative practice this year as our newest All-Access Member of Pen Parentis! 

2nd Place – $500 for Fabiola Mejia (3 kids) of Lynn, MA for the excellent and expansive “Prologue: Milagros’ Story” and a year of all-access membership.

3rd place – $250 for Anne Ramallo  of Los Angeles, CA (2 kids) for the creepy and terrific “Propagation”.

Honorable mentions go to:

We the Sleepless – Casey Gentry Quinn

The Courtyard – Marianne Amoss

The Motherboard – Courtney McDermott

Species of Euphoria – Rebecca Kling

Tuesday’s Child – Beth Kander

And the stories that were shortlisted were:

Snow White and the Sleep Study – Margaret Adams

At the Changing Table – Timothy DeLizza

The Roots of a Dandelion  – Szilvia Molnar

Surgical Prep – Michelle R. Brady

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE WINNERS but also to all the writers who managed to create something new for the competition – you are all wonderful writers. Please send these stories out and keep writing new stories! We support your journey and loved reading your work.

For inspiration from the experiences of other writers who also have kids, subscribe to the YouTube.com/PenParentis channel – new shows drop monthly during the school year.