2020 Poul Anderson Creative Writing Contest Winners Announced

    While the school year may have come to a close in a rather unorthodox way given the shelter-in-place order, it certainly didn’t close without its share of honors for students.
    In addition to academic achievements, four students received scholarships from the American Association of University Women and three became winners of the Orinda Junior Women’s Club’s Youth Ink contest, both groups were lauded in the May issue of The Orinda News. More recently, the Friends of the Orinda Library announced its winners for the 2020 Poul Anderson Creative Writing contest.
    Named in memory of the Orinda resident who was a popular science fiction writer of more than 80 books, the contest recognizes winning entries selected by a panel of judges drawn from the professional ranks of reading, writing or publishing. The contest features four genres: poetry, essay/memoir/biography, science fiction/fantasy and short story. The four winners receive $500 each with six honorable mentions selected this year as well.
    The 2020 winners include: Sophia Kofoed, Miramonte High School, 12th grade, poetry – Alabaster Skulls; Audrey Lambert, Miramonte, 11th grade, essay/memoir/biography – Ode to Grandma’s House; Emma Leibowitz, Miramonte, 10th grade, short story – That Night; and Julie Lima, Miramonte, 12th grade, essay/memoir/biography – Dear Class of 2020.
    The six honorable mentions comprise: Eloise Anagnost, Miramonte, 9th grade, short story – The Curse of Chance; Laura Boifort, Miramonte, 10th grade, science fiction/fantasy – Invisibility; Jenna Foster, Miramonte, 11th grade, poetry – Running Through the Neighborhood; Emma Leibowitz, Miramonte, 10th grade, science fiction/fantasy – Conversations with Satan; Casey Marriner, Miramonte, 12th grade, short story – Not Good Enough; and Matthew Muren, Orinda Academy, 10th grade, poetry – The Light.

Click links below to read some of the entries: