The University of Akron Wayne College recognizes gifted writers with 2013 Writing Awards
The University of Akron Wayne College recently presented awards to the 2013 Writer of the Year and to high school, college and community writers at its annual Writers Workshop. For 13 years, UA Wayne College has recognized exceptional writing with its Writing Awards and for 10 years has offered workshops to help writers sharpen their skills. The competition recognizes students from area high schools, Wayne College students and regional writers for projects they submitted at the end of the fall semester.High school writers competed in poetry, short story or personal essay categories; college writers submitted short stories or poetry, while regional writing competitors submitted poetry, short story or nonfiction pieces. The winners in each category received a monetary prize and complimentary registration to the April 6 workshop event. The Writer of the Year received a plaque and a $500 cash award.The Writer of the Year award, which recognizes excellence and achievement by a published writer who resides in Wayne, Holmes or Medina counties for a lifetime of work or for a recent success, was presented to Holmes County resident Raymond Buckland, who signed a multi-book contract this October with Penguin for a series of Victorian crime novels. He published his first book in 1969 and has published more than 50 since then. His books, both fiction and non-fiction, have been translated into 17 different languages and there are over two million copies in print. Eleven years ago he established the Killbuck Valley Writers Guild, a group that is still active today. Buckland has taught courses at many colleges and universities and has made countless presentations nationally and internationally; he has served as a technical advisor for the Orson Welles movie The Witches and as an advisor to William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist; and has also appeared on numerous television programs, including Tom Snyder, Dick Cavett and Sally Jessy Raphael. In the high school poetry category, Sarah McCartney of the Wayne County Schools Career Center won first place with Human Silhouette. Alexis T. Kirk of Highland High School was awarded second place for Life. Third-place honors went to Abigail Lyall of Jackson High School for Ill Love You Till the Trees are Soft with Snow. In the high school short story category, first place went to Autumn Koenig of Medina High School for One Thousand Cranes. The second-place award went to Mary Anne Snyder of Orrville High School/Wayne College PSEOP for Solace. Morgan Elswick of Buckeye High School took third place with What Weve Done.Abigail Lyall of Jackson High School was the first-place winner in the high school personal essay category with The Christmas Without Santa Claus. Carolyn Beatty of Dalton High School placed second for In the Shadows. Rachel Detweiler of Dalton High School received third place for First Impressions. In the college poetry division, Cody Steigerwald received the first place award for First Lust and Treva Eihinger received the second place award for Raging. Cody Steigerwald was the first-place winner in the college short story category with The Spider, the Fly, and the Cartels and Treva Eihinger took second with Crystal. In the regional awards poetry category, Daniel Ackerman won first place for Moonstruck. Sue Spirit won second place with Guidelines for Nirvana and Darlene Mullett won the third-place award for The Contrast. In the regional awards short story category, Melinda Neuhauser took first place for Crossing the Wire. Joseph McLaughlin was the first-place winner in the regional nonfiction category with The Case Against Sparrows. Bruce Stambaugh placed second with Enamored By Names, and Mary Ann Lieser received third place for Tending Our Treasures.
