My Town: Third annual Write Michigan Contest winners announced | Arts & Culture
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My Town: Third annual Write Michigan Contest winners announced
--------NEWS RELEASE-------Kent District Library, Schuler Books & Music and Herrick District Library announce the winners of the third annual Write Michigan Short Story Contest. More than 700 writers from across the state entered the contest: 215 adults, 426 teens and 104 in the youth category.
“We’ve had another successful year,” said KDL Assistant Director Michelle Boisvenue-Fox. “We are always excited to see and read so much great talent in Michigan. We are supported by 155 volunteer reviewers—librarians, booksellers and Friends of the Library—with over half of them returning from last year’s contest. Many people find this a fun way to support aspiring writers.”
Winners were chosen by public voting at www.writemichigan.org for the $250 Readers’ Choice award, and by a panel of judges for the $250 Judges’ Choice and $100 Judges’ Choice Runner-up awards. They will be honored at an awards ceremony at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 21 at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SE, Grand Rapids. Susan Dennard, author of the young adult series, Something Strange and Deadly, will present the keynote and write the Foreword for the 2015 Write Michigan Anthology, to be published by Chapbook Press.
ADULT
- Judges’ Choice Winner: Fred Thornburg, Owosso
- Judges’ Choice Runner-Up: Kellie VanHorn, Grand Rapids
- Readers’ Choice Winner: Ed McKenna, South Lyon
- Published Finalists: Kenton Smalley, Shepherd; Troy VanKoevering, Allendale
TEEN
- Judges’ Choice Winner: Katrina Haaksma, Comstock Park
- Judges’ Choice Runner-Up: Elle Waldron, Grand Rapids
- Readers’ Choice Winner: Mia Parks, Rockford
- Published Finalists: Shelby Herschleb, Ada; Catherine Jordan, Grand Rapids; Ashely Nelson, Wyoming
YOUTH
- Judges’ Choice Winner: Ayesha Jeddy, Grand Rapids
- Judges’ Choice Runner-Up: Beckett Butler, Grand Rapids
- Readers’ Choice Winner: Rachel Lee, Okemos
- Published Finalists: Anika Deshpande, Grand Rapids; Graham Ezinga, Byron Center; Ana Wittung, Grand Rapids
Sponsors of the 2014–15 Write Michigan contest include Aquinas College’s Contemporary Writers Series, Meijer and mLive / The Grand Rapids Press.