2006
West Virginia Writers Annual $6,650

Spring Writing Competition Winners

CATEGORY - APPALACHIAN THEME
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Daleen Berry, Monongalia, "Summer 1968: WV Roots"
  • 2nd Susanna Holstein, Jackson, "Evening News"
  • 3rd Terry W. McNemar, Harrison, "Will Work…Will Work"
  • 1st HM Natalie Sypolt, Preston, "Fire Makes It New"
  • 2nd HM Susanna Holstein Jackson The Way Home
  • 3rd HM Mary Lucille DeBerry Monongalia Farm Map

SPECIAL RECOGNITION - POETRY
  • Wilma Acree, Wood, "Country Kitchen"
  • Sharon McCormick, Putnam, "The Trek"
  • Sharon McCormick, Putnam, "Memories of East Lynn"
  • Rhonda B. White, Mercer, "A New Year in WV - Jan. 2, 2006"
  • Deborah Sparks, Rocky Gap, VA, "Jennie Earls"

SPECIAL RECOGNITION - PROSE
  • R. Dixon Bell, Berkeley, "Josh's Lamp"
  • Nadine McKinney, Boone, "Pam's Castle"
  • Charlotte Whipkey, Monongalia, "Sense Datum"
  • Candace Jordan, Monongalia, "Truce"
  • Phyllis Wilson Moore, Harrison, "The County Seat"
  • Karin Fuller, Putnam, "Roads Not Taken"

CATEGORY - CHILDREN'S BOOKS
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Christina Freeburn, Mineral, "Seek and Hide"
  • 2nd Elaine Breitenbach, Berkeley, "Dream Catcher"
  • 3rd Susanna Holstein, Jackson, "The Great Toilet Paper Caper"
  • 1st HM Teresa Newsome, Boone, "The Meanest Teacher"
  • 2nd HM Teresa Newsome, Boone, "Too Much to Forget"
  • 3rd HM Annabel Timms, Harrison, "Grandma's Soft Green Cloth"
  • Xtra HM Judy Hughan, Wetzel, "The Make Better Story"


CATEGORY - EMERGING WRITERS: POETRY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Verbie Ann Helyger, Putnam, "The Last Offering"
  • 2nd Neil Nicholas Akron, OH County, "Clare Clearcoat"
  • 3rd Nicholas Ryan Cartmill, Kanawha "The Boss"
  • 1st HM C. J. Farnsworth, Ohio, "The Day She Stopped Dreaming"
  • 2nd HM Hannah Johnson, Boone, "Lights in the Driveway"
  • 3rd HM Anita Pennington, Kanawha, "Appalachian Born"
  • Xtra HM Lawrence James, Hardy, "South Wheeling 1980"
  • Xtra HM C. J. Farnsworth, Ohio, "It Gets Cold Quickly"


CATEGORY - EMERGING WRITERS - PROSE
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Hilary Hansen, Reisterstown, MD, "CHD"
  • 2nd Suzanne Samples, Cabell, "Sugar Free"
  • 3rd Suzanne Samples, Cabell, "Bump"
  • 1st HM Ethan J. Cunningham, Monongalia, "Me Me II"
  • 2nd HM Carl Schultz, Jefferson, "Gratia"
  • 3rd HM Renee' Watson, Jackson, "Untitled"


CATEGORY - HUMOR
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Shannon "Tommy" Thomas, Wood, "The End of Childhood"
  • 2nd Susan G. DeVan, Hampshire, "Granny Gets Arrested"
  • 3rd T. W. McNemar, Harrison, "And they call you `Skunkhead' Because?"
  • 1st HM Harriet Whipkey, Gilmer, "Hibernating Hamsters"
  • 2nd HM Harry Lynch, Nicholas, "The Saga of Achy and Shaky"
  • 3rd HM Lawrence James, Hardy, "Closer to the End than You"
  • 4th HM Karin Fuller, Putnam, "Clean Sweep"
  • Xtra HM Don Narkevic, Lewis, "Romance"


CATEGORY - LONG NON-FICTION
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Geoff Fuller, Putnam, "On Balance"
  • 2nd Fran Simone, Kanawha, "A Thousand Joys & Sorrows"
  • 3rd B. J. Appelgren, Jefferson, "The Transparent Feather"
  • 1st HM Krista Holcomb, Putnam, "Silent No More"
  • 2nd HM Philip U. Effiong, Fairfax, VA, "Biafran Child: Cesspool of Innocence"
  • 3rd HM Daleen Berry, Monongalia, "Sister of Silence"


CATEGORY - SHORT NON-FICTION
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Charlotte Whipkey, Monongalia, "Sense Datum"
  • 2nd Lyn Widmyer, Jefferson, "My Friend Nell"
  • 3rd Elaine Childs, Putnam, "Remembering Stubby"
  • 1st HM Cat Pleska, Putnam, "My Kingdom and My Horse"
  • 2nd HM Phyllis Wilson Moore, Harrison, "Memories of a Bookworm"
  • 3rd HM Anna Smucker, Harrison, "No Place to Hide"


CATEGORY - NOVELS
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Bonni McKeown, Kanawha, "Chicago Blues Plantation"
  • 2nd Corey Madsen, Monongalia, "An Evensong for Father Bob"
  • 3rd Barbara Whittington, Stoutsville, OH, "Hungry for Chocolate"
  • 1st HM Theodore Webb, Monongalia, "The Zen River Baptism"
  • 2nd HM Joe B. Buttram, Greenbrier, "The Cistern"
  • 3rd HM Barbara Whittington Stoutsville, OH, "Home for a Song"
  • 4th HM Patricia Woodard, Pocahontas, VA, "The Store"
  • Xtra HM Carol Headley (Deceased) & Shirley L. Jones, Monongalia, "Beans and Cornbread for Thanksgiving"


CATEGORY - LONG POETRY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Mark Smith, Mineral, "From Dust, From Urn"
  • 2nd Anna Smucker, Harrison, "Extracurricular"
  • 3rd Randy Wilkins, Monongalia, "When I Was a Child"
  • 1st HM Susanna Holstein, Jackson, "Solo Performance"
  • 2nd HM Mary Lucille DeBerry, Monongalia, "May You"
  • 3rd HM Lauren Joan Rogers, Ohio, "An Hour-by-Hour Account of Men, Dying"
  • Xtra HM Lori Wilson, Monongalia, "Concerning this Dread Which I Cannot Name"


CATEGORY - SHORT POETRY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st J. C. Bolt, Mercer, "Sanskrit"
  • 2nd Wilma Acree, Wood, "Unmarked Civil War Battlefield"
  • 3rd Lisa M. Sheldon, Calhoun, "Post-Funeral Feasting"
  • 1st HM Ed Zahniser, Jefferson, "Somewhat Short of a Reasonable Moon Shot"
  • 2nd HM Joseph W. Caldwell, Kanawha, "Otterbien Cemetery, Jackson Co."
  • 3rd HM Beverly Bisbee, Kanawha, "White River Junction"


CATEGORY - SHORT STORY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Ben E. Campbell, Raleigh, "Tangle in the Fence Post"
  • 2nd Don Narkevic, Lewis, "The Ohio River"
  • 3rd Jeanne Wilson, Calhoun, "A Measure of Truth"
  • 1st HM Jim Koenig, Jefferson, "Love 1968"
  • 2nd HM R. Gene Turchin, Marion, "Up the Hollow"
  • 3rd HM Betsy Pascucci, Hampshire, "Lucky"


CATEGORY - VERY SHORT STORY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st William Haas, Monongalia, "American Steel"
  • 2nd Tovli Simiryan, Kanawha, "Sarah"
  • 3rd Jeanne Wilson, Calhoun, "Psychological Help"
  • 1st HM Tovli Simiryan, Kanawha, "Escaping the Cocoon"
  • 2nd HM Jim Koenig, Jefferson, "Where I'll Be Tonight"
  • 3rd HM Betsy Pascucci, Hampshire, "Lucky"


CATEGORY - YOUNG WRITERS - POETRY
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Rachel Maynard, Mason, "Words of Ice"
  • 2nd Melissa Waugh, Kanawha, "Key to Your Heart"
  • 3rd Patricia Weekley, Taylor, "Randal McCloy"
  • 1st HM Megan Russell, Nicholas, "My Little Sticker on the Wall"
  • 2nd HM Jared Wilson, Monongalia, "West Virginia Night"
  • 3rd HM Lindsey Maxon, Arlington, TX, "Pushing Back the Rain"
  • Xtra HM Matt Newlon, Wood, "West Virginia"


CATEGORY - YOUNG WRITERS - PROSE
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Kaci Evans, Pendleton, "Remembrance's Lake"
  • 2nd Lindsey Maxon, Arlington, TX, "HauntFest"
  • 3rd Lindsey Maxon, Arlington, TX, "In the Arms of the Sea"
  • 1st HM Lindsey Maxon, Arlington, TX, "Purpose"
  • 2nd HM Lindsey Maxon, Arlington, TX, "Miss Minerva Clark"
  • 3rd HM Kara Lynn Piechowski, Braxton, "Earl Harvey"


CATEGORY - ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Grace Kesler, Kanawha, "Spork the Wooly Pig"
  • 2nd Molly Williams, Marion, "The Sun, The Moon & The Fox"
  • 3rd Celeste Vingle & Jordan Holmes, Putnam, "The Cat Lady's Revenge on the Purple Bean Man"
  • 1st HM Kayla Long, Wyoming, "Time Machine"
  • 2nd HM Brock Martin, Kanawha, "The Leprechaun Room"
  • 3rd HM Alaine Lambertson, Monongalia, "Colonial Doctors, Health and Medicine"
  • Xtra HM Rachel Minney, Kanawha, "I'm Sick Today"


CATEGORY - MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRIZE NAME COUNTY TITLE
  • 1st Cayla Jakubowski, Montgomery, MD, "Joining Hands"
  • 2nd David Byler, Wood, "Spectre Street Library"
  • 3rd Morgan E. Southall, Kanawha, "An Alaskan Mystery"
  • 1st HM Bayan Misaghi, Kanawha, "Detective Dan"
  • 2nd HM Sarah Williams, Kanawha, "Stepping Stones"
  • 3rd HM Maher Shammaa, Kanawha, "Missing Maine"
  • Xtra HM Trevor Bryant, Mercer, "Grandfather's Legacy"
  • Xtra HM Sarah Teter, Pendleton, "Essay Implosion"

PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS

Poetry - Friday
  • 1st - Kayla Ward, "Believe in a Thing Called . . ."
  • 2nd - Ethan Fischer, "Ode to Pee"
  • 3rd - Cheryl Denise, "God and Farmers"
 
Prose - Friday
  • 1st - George Lies, "Once Upon a Time Trapped by a Flood in Mexico"
  • 2nd - Teresa Newsome, "The Meanest Teacher"
  • 3rd - Lynne Sturtevant, "The Headache"
 
Poetry - Saturday
  • 1st - Cheryl Denise, "In Sago"
  • 2nd - Kathy Kish, "Full Circle"
  • 3rd - Rhonda White, "A New Year in West Virginia January 2, 2006"
 
Prose - Saturday
  • 1st - Joshua Mattern, "Polaris"
  • 2nd - Jerri Bell, "Conversion of Granny McKee"
  • 3rd - Debbie Sparks, "Never Too Old"
 
Youth - Saturday
  • 1st - Morgan Southall, "Storm of Embers"
  • 2nd - Grace Kesler, "My Problem's Writing"
 

WRITER'S WALL WINNERS

Poetry
  • 1st - Sharon Gardner, "Mirrors"
  • 2nd -  Deborah Sparks, "Gabriel"
  • 3rd - Susannah Holstein, "Apology"
 
Prose
  • 1st - Sally Brinkman, "Between River and Mountain"
  • 2nd - Betsy Pascucci, "Harmonica"
  • 3rd - Lynne Sturtevant, "Trash Day"
 
Youth
  • 1st - Erika Luzader, "The Candy Doll"
  • 2nd - Morgan Southall, "Prologue"
  • 3rd - Grace Kesler, "Dreams"