The Friends of the Orinda Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 2014 Poul Anderson Creative Writing Contest, an annual competition open to all high school students who live or attend school in Orinda.
“We were very impressed with both the number and the quality of this year’s submissions,” said Julie Rossiter, the board member who runs the contest. “We received entries from students who attend Miramonte High School, Orinda Academy, The College Preparatory School and The Anthenian School, as well as one homeschooled student.”
The writing contest is named in memory of Orinda resident Poul Anderson, a popular science fiction writer of over eighty books. Winning entries are selected by a panel of judges who are involved professionally in reading, writing, or publishing. This year’s judges are Ginger Wadsworth, author; Sally Small, author; and Janet Boreta and Marian Nielsen of Orinda Books.
The contest includes four categories: science fiction, short story, essay/memoir and poetry. First place prizes in each category are awarded $250; honorable mentions are also granted to deserving pieces.
This year’s winners are as follows:
- Science Fiction: Alexa Barger (Orinda Academy, Grade 12), Short Circuit
- Short Story: Neil Binnie (Miramonte High School, Grade 9), The Soda Pop Bootlegger
- Essay/Memoir: Kate Nerone (Miramonte High School, Grade 9), Wave Goodbye
- Poetry: Gabriel Ostler (Miramonte High School, Grade 12), Ballad of the Creator
Honorable Mentions went to the following:
- Short Story: Laura Li (Miramonte High School, Grade 10), Alice
- Essay/Memoir: Caie Kelley (Miramonte High School, Grade 12), Why I Write
- Essay/Memoir: Katherine Richardson (Miramonte High School, Grade 12), Glimpses Through the Cracks
- Poetry: Katarina Cohen (Miramonte High School, Grade 10), Nothing Really