A Community for Writers

Presents

April 2008 Newsletter

• Winners and Finalists of this year's Literary Contest
• Spring Literary Festival Update
• Program News!
• News About Town

Winners of the 2008 Writers Studio Literary Contest

Writers Studio is happy to announce this year's winners for the fiction, nonfiction, and poetry literary contest. We had many fine entries this year and are sorry that we cannot give awards to everyone! Winners of our contests receive $250 cash prize, a special invitation to participate and read in our Spring Literary Festival, publication in The Progenitor, and a free weekend at Bloomsbury West, an artist's retreat near Westcliffe, Colorado. Our Runner-ups are also our special guests for the literary festival.

Fiction --Judge: William Hayward Henderson, author of Augusta Locke (Viking 2006, Penguin 2007), named best novel of 2007 by Westword.

First Place--Kate Krautkramer for Windrows

I chose "Windrows" as the winner for the subtle intensity of its emotion, the understated characters, and the complexity of its metaphors. The tale is tender and beautifully fresh, set in gorgeous, open ranchland. Haunted by the passing of seasons, the passing of her life, the loss of her only close friend, and the gradual loss of memory, Audra holds on to her husband and home, to the routine she knows, to the mysteries of loss and love she'll never solve.

Runner Up--Darryl Halbrooks for Salt Flat

I chose "Salt Flat" as the runner-up for its originality-it stands out for the risks it takes in telling such a large story in such a compressed manner, creating indelible characters with just a few quick brush strokes. The story is a rich and impressionistic evocation of a Western town's development over a few decades, told through the lens of Caleb McClaren's unhappy, unlucky, sometimes criminal, always engaging life. Through one disaster after another, Caleb retains his desire for easy success, and he does find a few good moments now and then. Caleb survives, and he will keep working his angles, making do, making big plans.

Nonfiction--Judge: Shari Caudron, author of Who Are You People? which received the Colorado Book Award and was chosen for Entertainment Weekly's MUST list.

First Place--Denise Turner for The Dark

Wow. The writer of this essay combined vivid scenes and imagery with searing emotional honesty to create a story with extraordinary psychological depth. Unlike many personal essays, which take a meandering approach to story, this piece was a page-turner. Though writing in the second person can be a risky choice, the writer was in control of the work throughout. As they say in the sports and entertainment biz: this is one to watch.

Runner Up-- Chesney Dougherty for Little Bombs

The writer of this essay covered a lot of territory: romance, parenting, mother-daughter relationships, test-tube babies and even mosquito research - and skillfully managed to weave the stories together into a meaningful narrative. Vivid scenes, honest dialogue and a few bright sprinklings of humor made this a joy to read.

Poetry--Judge: Aaron Anstett, Pikes Peak Poet Laureate and author of No Accident, was selected by Philip Levine for the 2004 Backwaters Press Prize and won the 2006 Nebraska Book Award and the Balcones Poetry Prize

First Place-- Karen Douglass for Mingle-Tongue

"Mingle-Tongue" employs a fugue-like catalog of details, movingly demonstrating remembering as a form of rescue.

Runner Up--Vicki Mandell King for Emptying

Spare and powerful, "Emptying" finds "a brief reprieve," Frost's famous "momentary stay against confusion."

Finalists:

Fiction: Amy Mehegan for Baby Doll, Darryl Halbrooks for The End of Everything, Lisa Hardman for Peace Offering

Nonfiction: Leslie Lewis for Personal Eden, Janelle Muntz Lassonde for Like Chalk and Cheese

Poetry: Carol Carpenter for The Empress Watches "This Is Your Life," Douglas Crago for Forgetfulness, Leslie Lewis for The Jewel, H. Joy Stross for The 5 & 10 Scent Store, Rosemerry Trommer for After Hitting A Deer on HWY 50 My Son Cannot Sleep

The 2nd Annual ACC Writers Studio Spring Literary Festival Update!

Advanced reservation required by April 16.

Reservations are moving fast!! At this time, we have a waiting list for Shari Caudron's morning nonfiction workshop and William Haywood Henderson's afternoon fiction workshop. We do have a few spots available in Laura Resau's morning young adult literature workshop and Aaron Anstett's afternoon poetry workshop. Please contact us asap if you are interested in attending these workshops.

For workshop descriptions and other information, please go to the Writers Studio Spring Literary Festival website and/or contact Dr. Kathryn Winograd at writerstudio@arapahoe.edu.

Literary Festival Fee:
$40 for non ACC students for two workshops
$25 for non ACC students for one workshop
$20 for ACC students
Lunch is included for all reservations

Writers Studio is Pleased to Announce the Hatching of a Brand New Associate of Arts Degree with a Creative Writing Emphasis at ACC.

Arapahoe Community College has recently approved a new 61 credit program in Creative Writing that will allow students to earn an Associate of Arts degree focused on a curriculum of general creative writing, genre-specific creative writing, and literature courses for an AA degree with a Creative Writing Emphasis. Course work will culminate in a final portfolio of work and public reading. Look for our upcoming marketing campaign for the degree.

News About Town

New Pikes Peak Poet Laureate

Writers Studio is happy to announce that Aaron Anstatt, poet faculty for our upcoming Literary Festival, has been named the Pikes Peaks Poet Laureate.

What set Anstett apart was "the breadth and depth of his knowledge of poets and poetry," said committee member Jim Ciletti, of Poetry West. "The fact is that he's a nationally recognized poet, and he has organized community poetry events. He has a recognized ability to interface well with the community - because the poet laureate project is not just about the poet, it's about the community." (full article here from the Colorado Springs Gazette)

Congratulations, Aaron!!!

Art From Ashes, a nonprofit organization that works to empower high-rish youth through poetry and other creative therapies that facilitates expression, connection, and healing, is now being supported by GivingFirst.com, a program of Community First Foundation. Please help Art from Ashes, winner of the 2008 MasterMind Award for Literary Arts, Westword's 2007 Award for Best Therapeutic Poetry Organization, continue its excellent work in helping youth in our community. Click on Arts from Ashes for more information.

Course Offering This Fall at ACC

ENG 275: PUBLISHING YOUR WRITING: Tuesday and Thursday 1-2:15 pm August 19-December 4, 2008 Room: M4770
Get published. Target audiences, prepare manuscripts for publication and contests, and submit your writing weekly for publication. Write a cover letter, a query letter, a personal biography, and a book proposal. Design and assess a book or a collection, perform a competitive title analysis, and prepare a marketing plan. Meet published authors and publishers. Many successes to date. The course covers submission guidelines, copyright, authors' rights, and trends in the industry. Josie Mills holds a Ph.D. in English with a specialty in creative writing from the University of Denver. She has served as an editor for several journals and as a judge for writing contests. Her writing has appeared in national and international journals, online, and in books including Talking River Review; Bitterroot; Colorado Lawyer; Rattle; Mama, Ph.D ; and Mantis, a Journal of Poetry, Criticism, and Translation. Registration deadline for this course is 5:00 p.m. the Thursday before the start of the semester. Ask for details by contacting josie.mills@arapahoe.edu or call Dr. Mills at 303.797.5813.