Tribeca Network Writers Festival
Announces Short Story Winners

Unusual encounters are a daily occurrence in New York City – some with other humans (not always welcome), some with other species (often unwelcome). Because this is a city that abounds in writers and where ghosts of famous writers – Twain, Melville, James, Parker and Crane (Hart and Stephen) – are always lurking, Tribeca.net, a new multi-channel website, invited writers (the living kind) to try their hand at a story about Gotham. The rules were simple: the story had to be approximately 1500 words and set in New York. Love, not surprisingly, was another favorite subject of the stories submitted by the thirty-five contestants – love across a crowded room or across an airshaft. In some cases, love occurs at first sight but not always under normal circumstances. Tribeca.net offered all contestants the opportunity to put up their own shows to do with as they wished; they could keep a blog or post photos, video and audio clips to supplement their stories. Comma, the book channel on Tribeca.net, is constantly on the lookout for new talent. The short story contest only represents the beginning of a journey – one that might turn out to be as short as the distance across a crowded room or as long a trip into outer – or inner – space.

The first prize of $500 went to Marietta Kosovsky for her story Only in New York, which recounts what happens when the tables are turned on a fraudulent panhandler. A graduate of Grace Hospital School of Nursing, Toronto, Ontario, Marietta moved to New York City and became a U.S. citizen in 1997. She regularly performs background work for TV and counts among her credits Law and Order, the Peacemakers, several soap operas, and other TV projects

The Second Prize of $250 has been awarded to Christina Oppold for her story Native New Yorker, an account of a young woman’s humbling first encounter with a real New York native: a cockroach. Christine is a 26-year-old competitive swing dancer living in New York. She has been blogging about dance for the past two years.

The four writers tied for third place were all awarded a prize of $100:

Marisa Low, a student columnist for the Sentinel & Enterprise in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, for her story Milton's Angels in which a lone stranger walks the route he always takes, only to find an extra special present on the streets of New York

Roy L. Pickering, a freelance writer living in Mapplewood, NJ, for his story, Habit Forming, about a serial robber whose heist offers a new beginning when he picks up some extra loot.


David Toussaint, a freelance writer, editor, director, actor, and producer living in New York City whose work has appeared in several literary magazines, for his story Queer Window about how we make up our own stories of love to suit the reality we live in.

Belcon Yekatit, a graduate of Iona College with a BA in Communications who hopes to become a television writer, for her story The Midtown Mission about a young man who is looking for love in all the wrong places.

In addition to the cash prizes, all contests won a free Tribeca
Network Denier polyester messenger bag.

Please visit us at www.tribeca.net. If you wish to contribute or have ideas for shows or are simply interested in further information about Comma, the book and writing channel, you can contact the managing editor Leslie Horvitz at leshorvitz@tribeca.net. We look forward to hearing from you.