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Macabre Musings Poetry Contest 2025
The ink has dried. The quills have fallen silent. And in their wake, they have left stories that claw at the soul, whisper to the shadows, and etch themselves into the marrow of our bones.
Macabre Musings was not merely a contest, it was an invitation to descend into the eerie, unsettling, and beautifully grotesque abyss. Each tale submitted was a window into the uncharted depths of the human psyche, where horror is not just something that lurks beneath the bed but something that lingers within us all.
We read. We shuddered. We marveled. Some stories left our breaths hitching, others made us glance over our shoulders long after they ended. Choosing the finest among them was no easy feat, for every entry was a dark gem in its own right. But in the end, a few stood out, their words slicing through the veil of the ordinary, demanding to be remembered.
And now, the moment you have been waiting for… the revelation of the voices that have conquered the darkness, weaving nightmares into brilliance.
Ladies and gentlemen, dreamers of the macabre, brace yourselves as we unveil the champions of Macabre Musings.
The room is silent. The air is thick. There is a presence here, lurking just beyond the veil, waiting for its moment. And now, its moment has come.
This story did not merely exist—it consumed. It wrapped its skeletal fingers around our throats, drawing us deeper into its dark embrace until escape was not an option. It was more than horror; it was an experience. A descent into madness, a plunge into shadows, a symphony of dread so intoxicating we almost forgot to breathe.
And now, we give in. We let it take us. We welcome the story that claimed our souls…
Tales That Refuse to Die: The Best of Macabre Musings
And now, we give in. We let it take us. We welcome the story that claimed our souls…
STEVE GERSON - THROUGH DARKNESS
Steve Gerson writes poetry and flashes about life's dissonance. He has published in CafeLit, Panoplyzine, Crack the Spine, Decadent Review, Vermilion, In Parentheses, Wingless Dreamer, Big Bend Literary Magazine, Coffin Bell, and more, plus his six chapbooks Once Planed Straight; Viral; And the Land Dreams Darkly; The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety, What Is Isn’t, and There Is a Season.
Some nightmares are loud. Others?
They whisper. This story did both, striking a perfect balance between eerie elegance and raw, unfiltered fear. It pulled us into its world and refused to let us leave, keeping us captive in its web of horror and intrigue. The tension, the pacing, the sheer craftsmanship, it was all exquisite.
ALANAH TUOHEY - THE ORCHARD OF THE DEAD
Alanah Tuohey is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing and illustration at Champlain College in Vermont. From collecting every book on ghosts and monsters at her rural Maine elementary school and imagining the strange things that might lurk in the crawlspaces of her old house to exchanging creative sparks with her closest friends in college, she is drawn to finding the human heart in the strange and uncanny. Through her work, she seeks to reveal these connections—along with her own—to those willing to listen.
This story was a slow-burn horror, curling around us like mist, seeping into the cracks of our consciousness. It unsettled us in ways we couldn’t quite name, like a shadow flickering in our peripheral vision, never fully revealing itself, yet always there.
A masterclass in quiet terror, it left us breathless and itching for more.
BRYNN TESKE - NIGHT TERRORS
Brynn Teske is an LGBTQ+ poet and novelist based in Minnesota. He earned his BA in English Creative Writing and is passionate about mental health, spicy villain arcs, and stealing horses in Red Dead Redemption II. A lifelong writer, he completed his first novelette in the third grade and has been unable to stop since.
Horror comes in many forms, and these writers proved it. They wove stories that dripped with unease, that crept into our minds long after we had turned the last page. Each of these tales was a haunting melody, a whisper in the dark that refuses to fade.
Their talent is undeniable, and their places among the best, unchallenged.
ABIGAIL BUCHANAN - THERE ARE NO FAIRY TALES
Abigail S. Buchanan is a writer and editor based in Laramie, Wyoming, USA. Her poems have appeared in various journals, including Christian Woman and New Voices. When not writing, she enjoys reading as much as possible, hiking, and studying the Bible.
ANDY BETZ - MIHI VINDICTAM EGO RETRIBUAM
Andy Betz has been tutoring and teaching for over 40 years, lives as if it were 1974, and has been married for 32 years. His works can be found anywhere a search engine operates.
SAMANTHA WOODS - DO YOU REMEMBER
Sam is a full-time janitor, perpetual student, lifelong writer, avid reader, and lover of all things creative. Currently enrolled in English Literature and Pop Culture at Toronto Metropolitan University, she has previously studied law and criminology.
SARA BEEMAN - HOW DO YOU TELL YOUR DAUGHTER THAT SHE IS GOING TO DIE?
Sara Beeman is a junior English Literature and Creative Writing double major at SUNY Plattsburgh. Her writing has appeared in Plattsburgh’s student-run literary magazine, NorthStar, and the blog of Saranac Review, where she was a staff member. Her work is forthcoming in Windmill: The Hofstra Journal of Art & Literature and Mary Baldwin’s Outrageous Fortune.
BILL SIMMMONS - GENE
Bill Simmons lives and writes in the San Joaquin Valley In California after living twenty years in Iowa.
SARAH SAMARBAF - VERTIGO IN PHASE OF NIGHT
Sarah Samarbaf is a poet who finds writing to be both an escape and a parallel world to live in.
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