In May 2008, Opium Magazine published the winner and finalists of its 250-word Bookmark Contest, judged by Aimee Bender. The latest of Opium’s oddball competitions — following the 500-word Memoir and 7-Line Story contests — challenged writers to pen a story that would fit on a bookmark. The results were strange, wonderfully imaginative, tiny gems that are all readable — or in this case listenable — in under a minute and a half. Contest winner Rachel Khong, first runner-up Lisa K. Buchanan, and finalists Matt Leibel and join actors Jon Wolanske and Erin Carter to read the contest’s top ten stories.
Opium Magazine is a literary humor publication that features fiction and poetry (each with an estimated reading time) along with cartoons, quirky art and progressive design. The website has been updated daily since its launch in 2001, and the print magazine has been published semi-annually since its debut in August, 2005. Featured artists include Etgar Keret, Aimee Bender, Roy Kesey, Jack Handey, Dennis Cooper, Tao Lin and dozens of future literary household names.
