2012 Edith Wharton Writing Competition Winners Named

Print Story | Email Story
LENOX, Mass. — The Mount, Edith Wharton's home, congratulates the winners of the 14th annual Edith Wharton Writing Competition.

The Mount and The Berkshire Eagle established the writing competition in 1998, in honor of Wharton's legacy, and in support and recognition of emerging young writers in her beloved Berkshire region. This year's writing competition is sponsored by The Eagle and Berkshire Life, A Guardian Company.

The 2012 competition invited students from Grades 9-12 from Berkshire County and the surrounding area to submit entries in one or both categories: fiction and poetry. This year's judges were Williams College's Karen Shepard and Bard College at Simon's Rock's Peter Filkins. A record-breaking 150 entries were received.

Grades 11-12

First Prize, $250 Awards
  • Ned Kleiner, Mount Greylock Regional High School (Fiction)
  • Lisa Mueller, Rockville High School, Vernon, Conn. (Poetry)

Second Prize, $150 Awards
  • Peter Boyce, Monument Mountain Regional High School (Fiction)
  • Elizabeth Prescott, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School (Poetry)

Honorable Mention Gift Awards

  • Lily Sexton, Monument Mountain Regional High School (Fiction)
  • Delaney Hand, Hotchkiss School (Poetry)

Grades 9-10

First Prize, $200 Awards
  • Teddy Nappo, Lenox Memorial Middle and High School (Fiction)
  • Espy Thomson, Amherst Regional High School (Poetry)

Second Prize, $100 Awards

  • Talya Phelps, Hawthorne Valley School, Ghent, N.Y. (Fiction)
  • James Hill, Greenfield High School (Poetry)

Honorable Mention Gift Awards

  • Lauren Hope Shamburger, Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School (Fiction)
  • Zavi Sheldon, Mount Greylock Regional High School (Fiction)
  • Jae-Min Yoo, Hawthorne Valley School (Poetry)
The awards will be presented at The Mount on Saturday, April 28, from 3 to 5. The program will open with remarks by The Berkshire Eagle's Kate Abbott, editor of Berkshires Week. Award winners will be presented with prizes totaling $1,500 and will be invited to read their winning works aloud. Following the ceremony there will be a reception with light refreshments.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, contact Elizabeth Stone at 413-551-5104.
Tags: contest,   writing,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Select Board Argues Over Sidewalk Article

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — A heated discussion concerning sidewalks during Monday night's Select Board meeting resulted in the acting chair calling a recess to cool the situation. 
 
The debate stemmed from the two articles on the town meeting warrant for May 6 at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School. 
 
One proposes purchasing a sidewalk paver for $64,000 so sidewalks can be paved or repaired for less money, but they will use asphalt rather than concrete. The other would amend the town's bylaws to mandate the use of concrete for all future sidewalks. 
 
The article on concrete sidewalks was added to the warrant through a citizen petition led by resident Todd Logan. 
 
The board was determining whether to recommend the article when member John Boyle took the conversation in a new direction by addressing how the petition was brought about. 
 
"I just have a comment about this whole procedure. I'm very disappointed in the fact that you [Logan] have been working, lobbying various groups and implementing this plan and filed this petition six weeks ago. You never had any respect for the Select Board and …" Boyle said. 
 
Before Boyle could finish his statement, which was directed to Logan, who was in the audience, Chair Joe Diver called point of order via Zoom. 
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories