Proctor Student Wins with Poetry in Writing Competition

These students are the winners of the Lake Sunapee Region Center for the Arts third annual Teen Writers Project Competition. Shown are: Luna Landers, New London, sophomore at KRHS; August Bates, Warner, freshman at KRHS; Jenn Caron, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS; author and judge Megan Baxter; Annaliese Rowell, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS; Emma Geraghty, Sutton, freshman at KRHS; Josefina Eliessetch, Sutton, freshman at KRHS; Ellie Labrie-Lavalley, Andover, freshman at Proctor Academy.

The Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the winners of the third annual Teen Writers Project Competition. This competition was open to local students between the ages of 12 and 18 in the categories of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry.

The winners in the fiction category are:

1. Annaliese Rowell, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS – Restart (with thanks to Thomas Coverdale)
2. Josefina Eliessetch, Sutton, freshman at KRHS – Made of Memories (with thanks to Jeff Maguire)
3. Luna Landers, New London, sophomore at KRHS – The Jake Partridge Effect

The winner in the non-fiction category is Jenna Caron, Sunapee, junior at Sunapee HS – Checks and Balances (with thanks to Thomas Coverdale)

The winners in poetry are:
1. August Bates, Warner, freshman at KRHS – Small Towns (with thanks to Jeff Maguire)
2. Emma Geraghty, Sutton, freshman at KRHS – Beautiful(?) (with thanks to Mrs. Cicoria)
3. Elle Labrie-Lavalley, Andover, freshman at Proctor Academy – Flowers on a Sunny August Day

The entries were judged by local author and award-winning writer, Megan Baxter, who teaches creative writing at Colby Sawyer College. Megan had these comments about this year’s winners:

“Jenna Caron’s essay ‘Checks and Balances’ demonstrates how a personal tone can create a persuasive argument. The essay manages to educate, as well as entertain the reader.

“Annaliese Rowell’s short story ‘Restart’ is rich with details that make the setting and story feel real to the reader. The characters are deeply realized and written with compassion. The structure and complexity of this piece are mature and confident.

“August Bate’s poem ‘Small Towns’ perfectly captures the kind of suffocation that young people can feel in isolated places. The poem’s structure and line breaks echo the setting’s sparsity. The choice of specific images makes this piece shine.”

The winners were presented with prizes, courtesy of the Center for the Arts, and their submissions are posted on the CFA website at CenterForTheArtsNH.org/students. Please check them out, along with winning submissions from previous years, and discover the talent that abounds in our youth community. Copies of the winning entries are also available at the CFA Office at the New London Inn.