Each year, SCR presents the Ronald Moran Prize in Fiction and Poetry for the best fiction and poetry of the year. Our fiction winner for this year was Matt Lumbard, with his story “Big River, little river,” from SCR 56.2
Matt Lumbard is from Verona, New York. He currently lives in Washington, D.C. with two Mourning Doves named Acey and Deucey, and is at work on a novel. Follow him on Instagram @burrosagrado.
Here’s what Matt has to say about his story:
This story is about leaving. Whether they want to or not, everyone leaves us, don’t they? And if it’s not them that leaves, it’s us that leaves. Where are you going? You’ve been gone so long. Are you coming back? I miss you.
What becomes of home after we leave? It becomes a sort of franken-home. Part home and part not-home-anymore.
This story is about a moonstruck mute five-hundred-pound riverboat captain and a mythical seven-foot tall Giant River Otter. There is an angular rhythm to the simple words. There is comedy. Angular rhythm? Is this guy off his flower?
I wrote it in the early morning before work, which is unusual for me. I woke up with this in my head: “I am the dumbest man driving a boat on the Mississippi today. I weigh five hundred pounds. I want to talk to you.” I liked that, so I went and wrote the rest. There was no planning
or multiple drafts.
Is it a happy ending? Is it a nightmare? I think it depends on how you feel about home.
