The Iowa Review is thrilled to announce the winners and runners-up of our seventh Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans, judged by Dewaine Farria. The work of all winners and runners-up will be published in the Spring 2025 edition of TIR. Included below are the winners, Farria's comments on their winning work, and a biographical note about each writer. Our next veterans' writing contest will accept submissions in May 2026.
First Place:
Reed Kuehn, "Cheese" (fiction)
"With a guileless voice laced with humor and wisdom, 'Cheese' wraps you in the warm folds of family tradition and service, then breaks your heart. The descriptions strike a perfect balance between the concrete and creative, paired with sharp dialogue that brings to mind Elmore Leonard at the top of his game. An expertly crafted story with a wonderfully lived-in, heartfelt rhythm."
Reed Kuehn was a general surgeon in the US Army, spending seven years in the special operations community. He earned his MD from the Uniformed Services University and completed a general surgery residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He recently graduated from the MFA program at Fairfield University. His work has appeared in So It Goes, The First Line, Proud to Be, and Consequence.
Second Place:
Bronson Lemer, "Over There" (nonfiction)
"An examination of how time frays the bonds of camaraderie for veterans already disconnected from their communities by prolonged absences and traumatic experiences. A beautifully blunt and insightful essay."
Bronson Lemer is the author of The Lonely Veteran's Guide to Companionship. His work has appeared in Guernica, Creative Nonfiction, The Southeast Review, and elsewhere. He lives in St. Paul.
Runners-Up:
J. Villanueva, “kicking the door down” (poetry)
"Violence is the rawest form of moral reckoning, a moment that divides lives into what came before and what comes after. With powerful, unflinching language, 'kicking the door down' masterfully captures that pivotal instant."
J. Villanueva is a Chicano writer/poet and Marine vet from deep south Texas. He earned his MFA from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley where he served as a graduate assistant instructor of creative writing.
SSG Michael T. Farwig, "A Dream of a Bright Blue Sky" (fiction)
"Set in the Afghan mountains and crafted with a keen, discerning eye for detail, this story draws the reader close to a haunting scene of modern warfare. "
Michael Farwig is an Afghanistan war veteran, Purple Heart recipient, and an MFA candidate at Western Michigan University exploring his experience through art. He is in the process of querying his debut novel.
Joshua C. Gaines, “Spontaneous Generation" (fiction)
"A heartfelt narrative woven together by humor and visceral, memorable scenes."
Joshua C. Gaines is a former Air Force captain who earned his writing MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has appeared in The Pinch, Driftwood, and Hobart.
