The Best in Show and first-place winners of the contest are:
• Best in Show: Craig Quellhorst
• First place, essays: Mary Ellen Bagen
• First place, fiction: Donna Sword
• First place, flash fiction: Karissa Hammond
Readers can enjoy these and all of the winning entries online at Dayton.com.
Last week in this in space I featured Mary Ellen Bagen and Donna Sword. Today let's catch up with contest winners Craig Quellhorst and Karissa Hammond:
Craig Quellhorst's Best in Show winning piece is a flash fiction story, "Lunch."
“I was actually putting together an entry for the longer essay category,” Craig says, “when I noticed the option for Flash Fiction. I’d never written flash fiction before, but trying to tell a story in 300 words or less seemed like an interesting challenge — especially for someone like me, who tends to write long pieces.”
Craig says he spent two hours on his piece, writing out a long version, and then editing over and over to get the word count down without sacrificing the point of the story.
“I found as I kept editing, the message behind my story kept getting crisper,” Craig says. “The form forced me to be more disciplined, and I think that improved my writing.”
Though the flash fiction form is new to Craig, the experience has inspired him to keep writing flash fiction. “Since then, I’ve written about 20 more 300 word or less flash fiction pieces! It’s exciting and challenging to try to capture a story in a moment.”
Karissa Hammond's first place, flash fiction story, called "Liss'en," was inspired by a real-life experience, she says.
“I was at college working on homework, when I noticed someone talking to himself at a different table,” she says. “I was intrigued, though I couldn’t hear specifically what the person was saying, or quite figure out why the person was talking aloud to himself. My imagination took off—and the real-life person quickly transformed into a fictional character. I wondered, what might the character say, and why, and what could be the urgency behind the words spoken aloud to no one in particular?”
Karissa’s imagination also has her working on an urban fantasy novel, she says.
“My goal is to finish that novel, and perhaps find a publisher,” Karissa says. “And then, of course, to keep on writing!”
Karissa's blog, "The Words They Live," may be found online at www.creativewritesofk.blogspot.com.
Antioch Writers’ Workshop events
This summer's program of the Antioch Writers' Workshop will include a one-day "Saturday Seminar: From Inspiration to Perspiration!" Registration for this event is open through July 7. (Visit www.antiochwritersworkshop.com and click on the "Register" tab at the top.)
The program features an “Inspiration” morning session led by a native of Yellow Springs, as well as afternoon craft sessions (the “Perspiration” component) led by all local writers.
Yellow Springs native Denise Jacobs, CEO of her motivational company TheCreativeDose.Com, will lead “Unstuck and Inspired: A Workshop to Kickstart Creativity.”
“First we’ll tackle the dastardly Inner Critic,” Denise says. “Next, we’ll begin to wrap our hands around the ever-elusive and fleeting creative inspiration.” She says the goal is to help writers access their “creative spark, and encourage ideas to flow.”
The “Perspiration” afternoon craft sessions, focusing on specific creative writing how-tos from conflict to dialogue and more, are led by local authors Cyndi Pauwels, Ed Davis, Trudy Krisher and PJ Carlisle.
The workshop also offers free and open to the public the keynote address by Nikki Giovanni, on Saturday July 11, 7 p.m., at Antioch University Midwest (900 Dayton St., Yellow Springs), the workshop’s partner.
Ms. Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. A book-signing will follow her keynote address.
Faculty and participant readings, all held in the evening at 7 p.m., are also free and open to the public for the remainder of the week. See the workshop website, www.antiochwritersworkshop.com, for details and schedule.
Events
Each of the following will be held at Books & Co. at The Greene, in Beavercreek:
Thursday, July 9, 7 p.m.: Molly Jebber introduces "Change of Heart," an Amish historical romance.
Friday, July 10, 7 p.m.: Ann B. Ross introduces the softcover edition of her most recent novel in the popular Miss Julia series, "Etta Mae's Worst Bad-Luck Day."
Saturday, July 11, 7 p.m.: Dick Wall introduces his wife Carol's memoir, "Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening," written while Carol battled breast cancer.
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