2008 Student Prose and Poetry Awards Winners
(left to right) Franz Douskey, Young Writers Trust founding member; Britta Bell, statewide poetry winner; Ben Cooper, statewide prose winner; and Jack Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University.
Ben Cooper of Barkhamsted and Northwest Regional District 7 in Winsted, won in the prose category for his story "The Underdog." Britta Bell of Litchfield and Litchfield High School won for her poem "Nine Weeks" in the poetry category.
Cooper and Bell were among 16 county champions statewide who were awarded $1,000 prizes at regional ceremonies in April.
These two winners, each accompanied by one parent, received a trip to Ireland in June for the presentation of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The award, worth 100,000 Euros, is the world's largest literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English.
In addition to Cooper and Bell, who won the statewide prize, the regional winner in Fairfield and Litchfield counties for prose was David Buchanan of Immaculate High School in Danbury for "For You Tonight" and the poetry winner was Andrew Coletti of New Fairfield High School for "Ghosts on This Island."
The regional winners in Hartford and Tolland counties for prose were Julia Hamilton of South Windsor High School for "Timeless" and Kathryn Johndrow of Rockville High School for "Visions of Reality." The poetry winners were Abigaile Sands of Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford for "Ripe," and Rachel Brady of Rockville High School for "Eve."
The regional winner in New London and Windham counties for prose was Brandy Avellino of Bacon Academy in Colchester for "Love/Hate" and for poetry was Jaime Daniells of The Williams School in New London for "We didn't get any of that."
The regional winner in Windham county for prose was Matthew Watson of Plainfield High School for "A Life Once Lived" and for poetry was Zoe Donnelly-Colt of Parish Hill Middle/High School in Chaplin for "Woods."
The regional winner in Middlesex county for prose was Gerard Ramm of Old Saybrook High School for "Sirens Over Newport Harbor" and for poetry was Emma Fidel of Valley Regional High School in Deep River for "Epic."
The regional winner in New Haven county for prose was Molly Herold from the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven for "Because of Them" and for poetry was Felicity Sheehy of Westover School in Middlebury for "Morning Glories."
The awards dinner featured keynote speakers Lionel Bascom, professor of writing at Western Connecticut State University, and Maya Polan of New Haven, the 2007 state poetry champion and a sophomore at the University of Redlands in California.
IMPAC and the Connecticut State University System have been sponsors of the Young Writers' program since 2000. IMPAC is a management productivity consulting firm run by James B. Irwin Sr. of Litchfield, owner of the Litchfield Inn. More than $166,000 in cash prizes has been awarded to high school students since the program's inception in 1998.