Writing Contest Winners to Read at October Program

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Sept. 24, 2015 - PRLog -- The Knoxville Writers’ Guild is proud to showcase several of its 2015 writing contest winners at the Thursday, Oct. 1 meeting.

The event, which will be open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. at the Laurel Theater, at the corner of Laurel Avenue and 16^th Street in Fort Sanders. A $2 donation is requested at the door. The building is handicapped accessible. Additional parking is available at Redeemer Church of Knoxville, 1642 Highland Ave.

Out of the many entries received, 14 writers were selected for recognition in the 2015 KWG writing contests. Several will read their winning entries at the meeting, including Oak Ridge High School student, Delaney Thurston.

Thurston, who also is one of ORHS marching band's drum majors, won first place in the Young Writers category for her submission titled, "At the End of Tornado Alley," about her experience growing up in Alabama, "where storms tragically take multiple lives every spring has affected me greatly and I hope that my poem can convey to others, who have not had that experience, about how impactful it can be," she said. "I am very excited to have the honor of reading my poem at the meeting. It means so much to me to know that other people appreciate my work."

Gerhard Schneibel, a Maryville resident, won second place in the Novel Excerpt category and said he was excited to read at the program.

"I submitted an excerpt from my novel with the tentative title 'Prosperity.' To me it's exciting to have placed in the KWG contest because I completed the draft of this novel in January after having worked on it for six years. It has followed me through many different stages of life and so this opportunity to read part of it to the KWG means a lot to me," Schneibel added.

Amber Hart, who lives in Columbia, Tenn., will read her story, "Living in Shitsville," at the program. The story placed third in KWG's Leslie Garrett Award for Literary Fiction. Hart said, "I'm thrilled to have placed in the Knoxville Writers' Guild annual writing contest... I'm looking forward to the opportunity to meet fellow writers at the upcoming event. I truly appreciate the Guild's continuing commitment to provide a strong writing community for authors in all genres."

The Knoxville Writers’ Guild congratulates all its 2015 contest winners and expresses its thanks to all who participated. A complete list of winners is available at www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.