Willimantic – Heaven Stone, a Creative Writing student at EASTCONN’s Arts at the Capitol Theater (ACT) arts magnet high school, is among 10 poetry finalists in the 17th Annual Connecticut Young Writers Trust Awards competition.
Stone’s poem, “Daisy,” is one of 10 poems and 12 prose submissions that were selected as finalists. About 300 Connecticut students, ages 13 to 18, submitted creative writing and poetry works for consideration in the prestigious student writing competition.
Stone, who is a sophomore at ACT, resides in Killingly.
“I am so happy that this wonderful young writer has been included in such a distinguished group,” said EASTCONN ACT Creative Writing teacher Barbara Greenbaum. “It has been wonderful working with Heaven in our Creative Writing classes and watching her grow. We are all very proud of her.”
First-, second- and third-prize winners in poetry and prose will be announced during the Connecticut Young Writers Trust Awards Ceremony on June 8, 2014, at Central Connecticut State University. Free and open to the public, the ceremony will feature live music and refreshments.
Winners will receive cash prizes, ranging from $100 to $500; among other prizes is a scholarship to the Yale Writers Conference and an invitation to read their winning poetry works at the Hill-Stead Museum’s annual Fresh Voices/Sunken Garden Poetry Festival in Farmington.
Finalists who attend the Young Writers Trust Awards Ceremony may choose to attend a workshop with either of this year’s keynote speakers: Dr. Michael White, Director of the Fairfield University MFA Program; or Jasmine Dreame Wagner, an award-winning instrumentalist and songwriter.
The non-profit Connecticut Young Writers Trust has pursued its mission of honoring, supporting and educating young Connecticut writers since being established in 1998. The Trust, which has awarded $215,000 to young writers over the years, fosters literary arts and education across Connecticut through workshops, community outreach and mentoring, as well as through its annual student literary competition and other creative cultural events.
ACT is a public arts magnet high school administered by EASTCONN, a public, non-profit, Regional Educational Service Center, which has been serving the education needs of schools and communities in northeastern Connecticut since 1980. Learn more about ACT’s Creative Writing program by contacting ACT Principal Tracy Goodell Pelletier at tpelletier@eastconn.org, or at 860-465-5636. Visit www.eastconn.org/ACT.
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