$16,000 To Be Awarded
Beginning Wed., April 23
State Finalists Vie For Dublin Trip
Connecticut State University System
N E W S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
16 of 600 High School Poets & Writers to be Named Regional Winners in Statewide Competition, Receive $1,000;
Finalists Have Chance to Win Trip to Dublin Writers Festival
Young Writers Competition to Hold Award Ceremonies at CSUS Universities
Six hundred Connecticut high school students submitted creative writing entries in prose or poetry categories as part of the 2008 Young Writers Competition, sponsored by IMPAC and the Connecticut State University System.
Throughout the next two weeks, during regional award ceremonies at Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut State Universities, winners will be selected in the prose and poetry categories from each of Connecticut's eight counties.
The 16 winning students - one from each county, in each category - will receive a $1,000 award, and will vie for a chance to be named statewide winner of the competition during the annual Young Writers Dinner on June 1 at the Litchfield Inn.
The statewide prose and poetry winners will each earn a trip to Dublin, Ireland, accompanied by a parent, for the presentation of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Dublin Writers Festival in mid-June.
Volunteer professors, poets and writers have been among those reviewing the 600 entries received by the Feb. 1 deadline. Each category has been narrowed to approximately ten finalists, from which each winner will be selected. The regional finalists are expected to be present for the announcement of the county winners. The award ceremonies begin at
7 p.m., and will be held:
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, Central Connecticut State University
Hartford County & Tolland County
Thursday, April 24, 2008, Western Connecticut State University
Fairfield County & Litchfield County
Monday, April 28, 2008, Eastern Connecticut State University
New London County & Windham County
Tuesday, April 29, 2008, Southern Connecticut State University
Middlesex County & New Haven County
"The Young Writers Competition provides Connecticut's high school students with an opportunity to showcase their creativity, talent and ability in a forum that honors their passion for the written word," said CSUS Chancellor David Carter. "Anyone reading their first-rate work cannot help but be encouraged and inspired by the remarkable talent that is unmistakable in these young people."
Keynote speakers at the county award ceremonies will be:
* Central: Mary Collins, Assistant Professor in the English Department, whose teaching includes a focus on non-fiction writing.
* Western: Lionel Bascom, faculty member in the Writing, Linguistics & Creative Writing Department, veteran writer and journalist with 25 years experience as a working reporter for national and regional media and nine published books of non-fiction.
* Eastern: Lauren Rosenberg, Assistant Professor in the English Department.
* Southern: Pat Mottola, a graduate student in creative writing who recently was selected as the 2008 Leo Connellan Prize recipient.
The annual competition is in its 11th year. By the end of April, the Young Writers Trust, which funds the competition, will have given more than $166,000 to Connecticut teenage writers.
IMPAC, a leading global productivity firm, endows the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which at 100,000 Euros ($135,000 - $155,000) is the world's largest prize for a single work of fiction.
The Connecticut State University System is the state's largest university system, with more than 35,000 students at four universities. The system, which includes Central, Eastern, Southern and Western Connecticut state universities, offers a range of academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels for individuals pursuing creative writing disciplines.
Details are available at www.ctstateu.edu or www.ctyoungwriters.org
Media Contacts
Andy Thibault, Young Writers Trust
800-814-6931,tntcomm82@cs.com
Bernard Kavaler, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs
860-493-0093, kavalerb@so.ct.edu
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