Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has announced the winners of the fourth annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition. White created the competition to promote writing and creativity and to provide a unique opportunity and outlet for recognizing new Illinois literary talent.
“I am delighted to congratulate these very talented individuals,” White said. “Illinois has a long history of producing outstanding writers, and I hope all of the writers who entered this year will continue writing and inspiring us with their poems and short stories.”
This year’s winners of the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award are:
- 1st place - Thea Chesley of Springfield for her poem Rendezvous, Rue de Ursulines
- 2nd place – Peggy Davis of Mt. Vernon for her poem Bearing Witness
- 3rd place – Fawn Hoener of Springfield for her poem Hot Flash
Winners of the James Jones Short Story Award are:
- 1st place – Peggy Stortz of Galena for her story Night Visitor
- 2nd place – John Gabriel of Joliet for his story Just Sort of Out of Sight
- 3rd place – John J. Flaherty of Bloomingdale for his story BUMS
Kevin Stein, who succeeded Gwendolyn Brooks as Illinois poet laureate, served as final judge for the poetry contest. Kaylie Jones, author and daughter of legendary Illinois writer James Jones (From Here to Eternity) and Helen Howe of the James Jones Literary Society served as final judges for the short story contest. (To read this year’s winning entries, log on to www.illinoiscenterforthebook.org.)
The winners of both awards will receive $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $100 for third place. In addition, the winners’ short stories will be submitted to Ninth Letter Magazine and Downstate Story Magazine, and the winners’ poems will be submitted to RHINO Magazine, Ninth Letter Magazine and Another Chicago Magazine for review and possible publication.
The Illinois Emerging Writers Competition is a joint venture of the Illinois Center for the Book, for which White serves as Honorary Chairman, the Illinois State Library, and the James Jones Literary Society. The James Jones Literary Society provided generous financial support for the competition.
The Illinois Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is a non-profit organization promoting books, book arts, libraries and reading in Illinois. Established in 1985, the organization’s mission is to celebrate the printed word and to create an environment that promotes reading, the book arts and an appreciation of the state’s rich literary heritage.