Announcing 2010 Winners of the Rising Star Creative Writing Competition

Winners will be honored at November 3rd ceremony to open The Nature of Words literary festival. Event also includes book launch of Words Without Walls student anthology!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Ellen Waterston, Executive Director
The Nature of Words
Phone: 541.647.2233
Email: info@thenatureofwords.org
Website: www.thenatureofwords.org

2010 Winners of the Rising Star Creative Writing Competition Announced

November 3rd Awards Ceremony to Include Book Launch for Student Anthology Titled Words Without Walls

BEND, OR. August 27, 2010.The judges have spoken and The Nature of Words (NOW) has chosen the winners of its 2010 Rising Star Creative Writing Competition, sponsored by the University of Oregon. The winners will be honored at an awards ceremony that is the opening event of The Nature of Words’ annual literary festival, November 3-7, 2010, in Bend, OR. The awards event will also include the book launch party for Words Without Walls, NOW’s 2010 anthology of student writing compiled from all of its creative writing programs for youth.

The Rising Star Awards Ceremony takes place November 3rd at 7:30 p.m. in the Central Oregon Community College (COCC) Library. The event is free and open to the public. First place winners receive a $100 cash prize, a trophy created by a local artist, a scholarship for a guest author workshop during the literary festival, publication of their winning entry in the anthology, and other recognition. Honorable mention winners also receive a trophy, publication of their winning entry in the anthology, and other recognition. All winners are invited to read their work at the awards ceremony.

In its fifth year, the Rising Star competition received submissions from emerging writers throughout the Northwest. Judging was conducted by a panel of writers based in Central Oregon including Carol Barrett and Marion Davidson (poetry), Sue Fountain (non-fiction and nature essay) and Helen Vandervort (fiction). The judges selected the following winners:

Fiction
Age 15-18 Winner: “Drowning”, Kelsey May, Sisters, OR.
Honorable Mention: “Cat Boy”, Erienne McCray, Bend, OR; “City of Angels, City of Devils”, Sam Nesbitt, Bend, OR.
Age 19-25 Winner: “Transparent”, Desiree Perry, Salem, OR.
Honorable Mention: “Weird Night Stand”, Mig Windows, Ashland, OR.

Non-Fiction
Age 15-18: No winner.
Honorable Mention: “Letter to My Child”, Ashley Sellers, Bend, OR; “Greatest Challenge”, Weldin Yanes, Redmond, OR.
Age 19-25 Winner: “The Worm Theory”, Hannah Flaherty, Bend, OR.
Honorable Mention: “Jungle Woman”, Marti Fraley, Bend, OR.

Nature Essay
Age 15-18 Winner: “Seeing Through the Blindfold”, Trevor Dodge, Bend, OR.
Age 19-25: No winner.
Honorable Mention: “Noisy Roots”, Megan Risley, Seattle WA.

Poetry
Age 15-18 Winner: “Words”, Austin Skelton, Bend, OR.
Honorable Mention: “Convex Issues Concaving In”, Naomi Wright, Bend, OR.
Age 19-25 Winner: “If the Whole World Could be an Island in the Sun”, Anna McCallon, Seattle, WA.

Copies of Words Without Walls, a hard-bound book with cover art by John Simpkins, are available from NOW for a suggested donation of $14.95. The anthology includes a Foreword by Oregon poet Kim Stafford.

Announcing the 2011 Competition
Young writers should start planning to submit work to the 2011 Rising Star competition. The call for entries will be issued following the November literary festival.

Meet the Rising Star Judges
Carol Barrett's passion for creative writing began after an early career in clinical psychology. She has earned Ph.D.s in both fields, as well as a master's degree in physical education majoring in dance. Besides psychology, literature and writing, she has taught and published articles in gerontology and women's studies. Her two books of poetry are Calling in the Bones (Ashland Poetry Press, 2005) which won a national competition, and Drawing Lessons (Finishing Line Press, 2002). Magazines and anthologies have published 200 of her poems. She has also received an NEA fellowship as a poet.

Marion Davidson’s poems have been published in several journals and publications including the Sunday edition of The Oregonian, ”Number One”, “RATTLE”, “Hubbub” and “Ellipsis”. A chapbook of her poems, The Closeness of Ice, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2004. She is currently circulating a full length manuscript of her poems entitled A Lizard Goes to L.A. Davidson is a retired attorney.

Sue Fountain was a high school English teacher for 15 years, and taught the writing of short stories, ballads, pantoums, pattern poetry and journey poems. She has a Masters Degree in Education from Western Washington University. She is currently writing a personal memoir of Bend from 1940 to 1963.

A native Oregonian, Helen Vandervort earned a master’s degree in Communications and Business from the University of Portland and a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Portland State University. Before retiring in 1991, she was Director of Public Information at Central Oregon Community College and Executive Director of the COCC Foundation. She has two novels to her credit: A Vintage Year and The Scheherazades, as well as numerous essays and articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines.

About The Nature of Words
Now in its sixth year, the mission of The Nature of Words is to foster an appreciation of the literary arts and humanities in the High Desert region of the Northwest through community interaction with acclaimed authors, and through creative writing programs for students and adults. For more information, visit www.thenatureofwords.org, call 541.647.2233 or email info@thenatureofwords.org. In Bend, visit NOW’s literary arts center at 224 NW Oregon Avenue.

About Our Sponsors and Donors
In these challenging economic times, NOW relies on contributions from generous supporters to fund its programs. The Nature of Words is made possible by the following sponsors and donors:
Laureate: Central Oregon Community College, OSU-Cascades Campus, Penny & Phil Knight, Oregon Community Foundation, Starview Foundation in support of Deschutes Land Trust, Julia Kennedy Cochran, Anonymous Donor. Ex Libris: Bryant Lovlien & Jarvis PC, The Bulletin, Caldera, Cascade Publications, Clear 101.7FM, Terry Cumbie/Dudley's Bookshop Cafe, Greer Mahr & Associates LLP, Margaret Heater, The Kinsman Foundation, Les Schwab Tires, Oregon Arts Commission, Karen Poulsen, Roundhouse Foundation, The Source Weekly, Umpqua Bank, University of Oregon, Dan Wieden. Best Seller: Associated Students of Central Oregon Community College, Brooks Resources, COCC’s Multicultural Activities, Native American Program and Latino Student Program, Curry Stone Foundation, Devore's Good Food Store, Mike & Sue Hollern, John Martin Landscapes, MC Smith Signs, The Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program, Old Mill District, Phoenix Inn Suites, Jeff & Margie Robberson, Roll35, Sally Russell, Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, Visit Bend. Page Turner: Dr. John Berreen, Deschutes County Commissioners, Deschutes Brewery, Ingrid Lustig, Linda & Craig Moore, The Oxford Hotel, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Bend, The Trust for Public Land, Nancy Tyler. William Smith Properties. Bookplate: Tim & Jenny Green, Kake Huck.

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