DIAJ Award Winners

Door Is A Jar Magazine originally honored two contributors that best represented the year's submissions. 2023 is the first year we are giving the award to someone in each category we publish. Anyone who submits work to Door is a Jar Magazine has a chance at winning this award.

The 2023 DIAJ Award winners:

Andy Perrin (Poetry)

Bailey Swinford (Fiction)

Carella Keil (Nonfiction)

Christine Stoddard (Art)

Hadley-James Hoyles (Book Review)

When judging for this award, we look for pieces that are accessible and relatable in a way that goes hand in hand with one of our core values — the value of making our publication open and available to everyone.

POETRY

Andy Perrin (Issue 27 Summer 2023)

Andy Perrin is a writer/photographer/cyclist/teacher from southern Rhode Island. Andy often explores the roads and trails near his home on one of his bikes. On occasion, while he is out exploring, he is moved to stop to take a photo of some inspirational thing. On the best days, the thoughts of the things photographed turn into words and the subjects of his writing.

DIAJ Award 2023 poetry perrin

FICTION

Bailey Swinford (Issue 29 Winter 2023)

On most days, Bailey can be found in Northern Kentucky or Cincinnati spending time with her family and her three dogs. Bailey enjoys practicing hot yoga, collecting ceramic art, and watching lilac blossoms gently sway in the breeze. Bailey has never outrun an avalanche or caught a hummingbird, but she once survived a skydiving incident where her primary parachute did not deploy.

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NONFICTION

Carella Keil (Issue 26 Spring 2023)

Carella is a writer and digital artist who splits her time between the ethereal world of dreams, and Toronto, Canada, depending on the weather. She has been published in numerous literary journals including Columbia Journal, Chestnut Review, MONO and Crannóg. Her writing was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her art has appeared on the covers of Glassworks Magazine, Nightingale and Sparrow, Colors: The Magazine, Frost Meadow Review and Straylight Magazine. instagram.com/catalogue.of.dreams twitter.com/catalogofdream

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ART

Christine Stoddard (Issue 28 Fall 2023)

Christine Stoddard is a Salvadoran-American writer, director, artist, and actor. She created Quail Bell Press & Productions, including the Badass Lady-Folk podcast, Forget Fairytales comics, and Quail Bell Magazine. She has authored a body of work comprised of books, films, plays, visual art, and digital media. ​Her comedy show "Quail Tales" runs monthly at The Players Theatre in Manhattan. Her work has appeared in the Broadway Comedy Club, Radio Free Brooklyn, The Huffington Post, Gene Frankel Theatre, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Ms. Magazine, New York Transit Museum, Cosmopolitan, Queens Botanical Garden, The Brooklyn Rail, and beyond. More at WorldOfChristineStoddard.com.​

DIAJ Award 2023 art Stoddard

BOOK REVIEW

Hadley-James Hoyles (Issue 28 Fall 2023)

Hadley-James Hoyles is a poet, musician and teacher from North Yorkshire, based in Leith. He has been published in many journals and magazines, has a pamphlet with Wild Pressed Books and a full-length collection with Rymour Books. He is the Makar of Teviot Row House.

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