2009 Fairfield & Litchfield County Champions with Western Connecticut State University President James Schmotter and CSU System Chancellor David Carter Thursday night, from left to right: Kevin Redmond, Clarissa Burch, Emma Lowenberg and Amanda Ball.
-- Photo by J Thompson Pease
New Milford and Redding teens
make final cut in state writing contest
"It was really surprising and really exciting for me," Lowenberg said Friday. "He (the owl) is getting more and more famous. Maybe more people will come to visit him. He needs friends."
By Eileen FitzGerald
Staff Writer
Updated: 05/01/2009 05:13:12 PM EDT
Teens Emma Lowenberg of Redding and Clarissa Burch of New Milford have been named county finalists in an annual young writers for their prose. They've won $500 each and a chance for the statewide honor in the category.
Lowenberg, 16, is the first home-schooled county champion in the 12-year history of the Connecticut Young Writers Competition.
She was selected from Fairfield County entries for her story called "Bernard," an essay about getting to know an injured owl named Bernard at New Pond Farm Nature Center in Redding, where she works two days a week.
"It was really surprising and really exciting for me," Lowenberg said Friday. "He (the owl) is getting more and more famous. Maybe more people will come to visit him. He needs friends."
Burch, 15, of New Milford High School, was chosen as the Litchfield County finalist for her story, "Missing You."
The two teens were announced along with county poetry finalists during ceremonies at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury April 23.
The competition is sponsored by IMPAC, a worldwide management productivity improvement company, whose owner, James Irwin, lives in Litchfield, and the Connecticut State University System.
The Fairfield County poetry finalist is Amanda Ball, 17, of Greenwich Academy, who was selected for her poem, "Snapshots Denied," and the Litchfield County poetry finalist is Kevin Redmond, 17, of Torrington High School, for his poem, "The Cold Stare Of Infinity."
The finalists in prose and poetry from each of the eight counties in the state are invited to a state-wide ceremony May 31 at Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford.
The Young Writers Trust, which funds the program, reduced the county finalist awards from $1,000 to $500 this year because [of] a shortfall in funding of more than $10,000.
The writers trust also decided to resume its practice of giving cash awards to the state champion in prose and poetry instead of offering a trip to Dublin, Ireland, which was the prize for the past few years.
IMPAC also sponsors the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which, at 100,000 euros, is the largest in the world for a single work of fiction.
This year, there were more than 580 students who entered works. About 6,000 students have participated in the program since 1998. Since its start, the trust has given more than [$174,000] to Connecticut's best young writers .... $4,000 [was] distributed [this] week.
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The Young Writers Trust is continuing to accept sponsorships for the annual celebration.
Recent donations have been received from Michael Tomasso of The TOMASSO Companies of New Britain; Attorney Kevin Creed of Newman Creed & Associates of Bristol; Eileen Lieberman, Adolf Gordon Corporation of Vernon; Joshua Lieberman of Comprehensive Media Services LLC of Vernon; Vincent Michael Valvo, Group Publisher, The Warren Group [Commercial Record]; the Raap & Vigeant families, Village Pub & Restaurant, Litchfield; Franz Douskey, professor at Gateway Community College in New Haven and President Emeritus of IMPAC University, Punta Gorda, FL; Dr. David Carter, the CSU System Chancellor; Dr. Joseph Bentivegna of Rocky Hill, the eye surgeon and novelist; Dr. William Cibes, the CSU System Chancellor Emeritus; Pat Steier of PS Art Gallery, Litchfield; Anny Gentilin of Charleston, S.C.; Dr. Lauren Doninger, professor at Gateway Community; Fran and Michael Keilty of the Hickory Stick Book Shop, Washington Depot; Ted Murphy of E.J. Murphy Realty, Litchfield; Attorney Jack Horak of Reid & Riege, Hartford; Attorney Tim Moynahan of Moynahan & Minnella, Waterbury; novelist Denning Powell of West Hartford; Attorney Bill Crowe of Mayo Crowe, Hartford; David and Ginger Dean of Litchfield County Commerical, Torrington; and Jeff Lalonde of Torrington Savings Bank. In addition, the Trust has received a number of substantial pledges for the annual celebration from long-time sponsors.
Thanks to our sponsors and volunteer laborers throughout Connecticut, we are able to sustain the program this year.
SPONSORSHIPS
Business Card Ads in Program, $250;
County Award Co-Sponsors, $500.
* The Trust has also gratefully accepted
donations in smaller denominations.
IMPAC-Connecticut State University System
Young Writers Trust
231 Beach St.
Litchfield, CT 06759
* 800-814-6931 * Fax- 860-567-9119
* tntcomm82@cs.com
Cell: 860-690-0211
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