SWEAT DREEMS - SYDNEY AERIN
Sydney Aerin is a licensed therapist and published poet, living in Oklahoma. She is passionate about mental health education, disability awareness, and equality for all. Her work and performance information can be found on Instagram: @sydneysometimes.

First runner-up for the darkest soul is… !
A BADGE OF HONOR - A.J. CHILSON
A.J. Chilson is an award-winning author of over 30 books; some of the books are poetry collections, but most of them are children's work. He currently lives and works in Winnsboro, Texas, where he hopes to inspire others.

Second runner-up for the darkest soul is… !
THE MASQUERADE WITHIN - TRACEY THIESSEN
Tracey Thiessen resides in Ontario, Canada. With her empty nest home and part-time Fitness and Meditation instruction classes, flexibility and freedom are two keywords that help generate a flourishing positive writing environment. A healthy attitude ensures those juices continue to flow. She received a Recognition of Achievement in Creative Writing from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario and is proud to belong to The International Women’s Writing Club and The Ontario Poetry Society. Verse Afire has published her work and she recently completed her first novel.

The Top Finalists with souls as black as the midnight sky are…!

I DID NOT KILL ANGELINE WATSON - ANDY BETZ
Andy Betz has tutored and taught in excess of 40 years. He was born in 1974 and has been married for 29 years. His works are found everywhere a search engine operates.

IT’S YOUR PROBLEM NOW - DARIAN KIENER
Darian Kiener is a student at the university of North Carolina Greensboro currently majoring in English and minoring in Philosophy. He is currently in the process of deciding whether to apply to an English masters program or a poetry (or fiction) MFA program. When he is not writing he can be found cooking, playing hockey, or doing homework in the library.

SELF PORTRAIT AS DRIFTWOOD - STEVE GERSON
Steve Gerson writes poetry and flash about life's dissonance. He has published in CafeLit, Panoplyzine, Crack the Spine, Decadent Review Vermilion, In Parentheses, and more, plus his chapbooks Once Planed Straight; Viral; and The 13th Floor: Step into Anxiety from Spartan Press.

I DON’T LIVE IN DARKNESS, DARKNESS LIVES IN ME - MIA SOTO
M.S. Blues is a storyteller, poet, and songwriter. Her work revolves around the darker pieces of humanity society tends to neglect. When she isn’t bound to paper, pencils, or the computer, she enjoys costume designing, reading, playing guitar, watching old films, and studying asteroids. She has been published 3x by Literal Impact, Teen Ink, The Trailblazer Review, Eber & Wein, Pa'lante!, and Wingless Dreamer. She currently resides in the Bay Area, California and is looking forward to beginning her college journey in the Fall.

PUT ON DISPLAY - ANIKA CLAUSEN
Anika K. Clausen writes poems and short stories that entertain the dark corners of the mind while alluding to the masked realities of today. She is a multilingual writer from Denmark who has published on the Yard: Crime Blog, has forthcoming work in Vine Leaves Press and is currently working on a collection of short stories. She can be found at https://akclausen.com/ or on Instagram @anika.kclausen.

THE WHAT IF - SUSAN SHEA
Susan Shea is a retired school psychologist who had the privilege of working with middle school children, staff, and families. She was invited into the hearts and minds of people on so many journeys. Now she is able to give her attention to writing poetry which has been her lifelong love. Her poems have been published in Plainsongs, Pudding, Poetry Forum Newsletter, Oxalis, The Orange Review, and the Accordion Flyer. Recently she has had poems accepted by The Bluebird Word, and for an Anthology for Moonstone Arts Center She lives with her husband and two cats in a forest in Pennsylvania.

THE DARK EAST - REX WILDER
Rex Wilder suffered a major mental collapse from which he has rebounded, as he says, "with aplomb." Before and after his adventure, he has published three books of poetry. His fourth, chronicling his illness, A Quiet Place to Land, is due out this fall from Chatwin Books in Seattle.

THE BLACK SWAN - SAMANTHA ORTEGA
Samantha lives with her dog Oreo in Southern California. She can be found on Instagram under the handle @ishoponshein.

SOUL CATCHER - ROLLIN JEWETT
Rollin Jewett is an award winning playwright, screenwriter, singer/songwriter, poet, author and photographer. His screenwriting credits include Laws of Deception and American Vampire. His short stories, poetry and photography have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies and his plays have been produced off-Broadway and all over the world.

Thank you for sharing your inner demons and twisted tales with us. While it takes immense courage to share your darkest thoughts, it takes even more courage to go on the journey of unravelling these thoughts and understanding where they are coming from and what they mean. Every single one of the poets who embarked on a dark journey inwards and came out learning something more, something new about themselves is the real winner. Every single one of you who confronted the darkness within and got acquainted enough with it to write poetry about it, is the real and only winner.
Congratulations to each and every one of you, and we wish you all the best of luck!