Paper Garden Literary Contest Winners Celebration

As the Meadowlake Studios’ camera panned the smiling faces and nervous laughter filled the McMinnville Community Center for the 2012 Paper Gardens Literary Contest award celebration.  For 19 years the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County  has sponsored the County wide creative writing contest for ages 6 and up, children, youth and adult in categories of prose and poetry.  This year there were 300 submissions.

Poet, gardener and essayist Charles Goodrich was the judge for Paper Gardens.   Goodrich is the director of the Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word at Oregon State University.  His newest collection of work may be found in his book "Going To Seed"  Dispatches from the Garden” (Silverfish Review Press, 2010).

The celebration was a chance for community members to talk with contest judge Charles Goodrich and meet other writers.  The highlight of Friday evening was hearing almost all of the 2012 winners read their work.

This year’s Chapbooks is dedicated to Ken Myers.  Since 1993 Ken Myers had been involved with the layout and production the Paper Gardens chapbooks.  His dedication and long support is one of the reasons Yamhill County writers have been published by Paper Gardens.  Rachel Burchard, founder of the contest would be proud to know Ken Myers still the literary touch.  The Chapbook cover art is by local paper cut artist Cindy Stinson-Chennell.    Chapbooks are available for sale by contacting the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County. 

Look for Meadowlake Studios Encounters: Paper Gardens 2012 on McMinnville Community Media MeMinnville Community Media.

2012 Winning Entries
Adult Prose
1st Place: “Lesser God” by Dennis Bershaw
2nd Place: “Joys of a Mailbox” by Larry Kurtz
3rd Place: “Runaway” by Loren Willbur

Adult Traditional Poetry
1st Place: “As It Should Be” by Mike Paull
2nd Place: “A Step” by Melissa K. Terrill
Adult Free Verse Poetry
1st Place: “Undone” by Julie Stubblefield
2nd Place: “My Surgeon” by Jen Jo
3rd Place: “Lullaby” by Susan Easterly

Adult Haiku
1st Place: “Small Steps” by David Hallett
2nd Place: “Spring” by Ann E. Patton
3rd Place: “Hovering Over Mt. Shasta” by Brenda Huante

Adult Poetry of Place
1st Place: “Tyler, Age 2, Picks Blackberries” by Fran Hunter

Youth Prose
1st Place: “The Patient” by Erica Keaveney
2nd Place: “The Old Lafayette Estate” by Kristi Thompson

Youth Free Verse Poetry
1st Place: “Sideways” by Bethan Bonebrake
2nd Place: “Short Answer Questions and First Lines” by Natasha Balwit

Youth Haiku
1st Place: “Creative Juices” by Margaret Halstead

Children Prose
1st Place: “The Wreck of the SS Star Liner” by Kiran Sawhney
2nd Place: “Video Adventure” by Lakshmi Austen Sawhney

Children Free Verse Poetry
1st Place: “Quiet” by Hannah Siepmann
2nd Place: “The Ocean” by Tatum Frey
3rd Place: “Orchestra Sparks” by Sara Lin Asada

Children Haiku
1st Place: “Snowball” by Emily Cinnamon
2nd Place: “Fire” by Pruette Karl
3rd Place: “Rain” by Kyra Ellen Sieber

Children Poetry of Place
1st Place: “Our Library” by Juan Hernandez

Increasing the Literary Density of Yamhill County

Barbara Drake was excited about the Terroir Creative Writing Festiva   coming up next Saturday. April 14th at the McMinnville Community Center.  I talked with her this morning at McMinnville Public Market.  She was staffing the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County booth. 

Barbara Drake is the guiding spirit of the Terroir. Writing Festival  It was November of 2008 or 2009, when she, then President of  Arts Alliance, stood before a large Arts Alliance membership gathering and asked for help in realizing her dream of a creative writing festival. 

“What we want to do.”  she said. “We want to increase the literary density in Yamhill County.”   

Barbara has done just that.  The first Terroir Creative Writing Festival in 2010 was a huge success.   The well known Portland writer Ursula LeGuin was a speaker and there were writing workshops by well known Northwest writers.   Terroir 2011 was also successful.  Author of the Earth’s Children’s series Jean Auel  was a speaker and again there were excellent writing workshops by Northwest writers.

This year’s Creative Writing Festival is shaping up to be as good or better than previous years.  The line up of Northwest writers speaking,  writing workshops and readings is impressive.

The musician and writer who opened the recent Oregon Book Awards presentation, Willy Vlautin will talk about finding inspiration in Oregon.  Portland suspense writer, author of “Kill you Twice”, Chelsea Cain will give a work shop on writing a best selling thriller.  There is a Poetry workshop by gardner and poet Charles Goodrich whose new book is ‘Going to Seed: Dispatches from the Garden” and who is the judge for the Arts Alliance’s annual  Paper Gardens Writing Contest .

One of my favorite Northwest writers Matt Love will be doing a work shop on writing creative non-fiction.  Leanne Grabel will have a work shop on writing and producing your own play.   Those who are thinking about a memoir, Evelyn Hess  will give a work shop on writing memoirs. 

There will be readings by novelists and poets.   The poetry journal of place Windfall Journal  editors and authors Bill Siverly and Michael McDowell will read and many other local poets.   There will be an opportunity for writers take a risk and to stand up at an “open mic” and read their work to an appreciative audience.

For those who love the feel and touch of the old fashioned book, you are not forgotten, the founder of Book Arts Center of McMinnville Marilyn Worrix will have a work shop on the handmade book.

If you are a writer the  Terroir Creative Writing Festivalwill give you access to some very good Northwest writers from varied disciplines.  In the workshops you pick up tips to help you improve your craft.  The entire event will introduce you to other local writers.   The registration form is on the website and you can register Saturday morning, April 14th at the Community Center.

As Barbara said. “What we want to do is increase the literary density of Yamhill County.”