JAKE'll take an Italian sub, extra dressing

Congrats to all these fantastic writers! These were JAKE's favorite pieces of the year, the ones he kept coming back to again and again for one reason or another. Read all of JAKE's nominees here:
jakethemag.com/tag/botn-26/

And For Nonfiction:

"To the Wendy’s Cashier Whose Husband Is Dying" by @bethanyjarmul.bsky.social
& "Gaming All By Yourself Handsome?" by @whoastanderson.bsky.social

& "The AUDACITY of the Young" by Sara Vernekar

For Fiction:

"Ask Me Something" by @mallorysmart.bsky.social
"Eduardo" by @martinezfjulian.bsky.social

"Gavin Garza Will Have His Revenge on Fresno" by @gavinopoet.bsky.social
"i had a dream last night that Stone Cold Steve Austin was helping me rearrange furniture and i kept calling him Stone instead of his actual name but he was fine with it" by Katy Haas
...

For Poetry:

"In which the alien from 'Alien' plays basketball" by Erica Leslie Weidner
"Hold Me to Your Ground (Metalloid Maniac x Reader Fanfiction)" by @jennajaco.bsky.social
"We're Both Just Here for the Zipline" by @lkardos.bsky.social
...