The Rotary Club of Summit County has partnered with the Summit County Libraries to present Write the Rockies, a celebration of writing that includes writing contests that offer prizes, author visits and workshops. A poetry and short story contest is now open for Summit County adults and high school and middle school students in English and Spanish.
Entries will be judged by a panel of 12 local education advocates. Cash prizes of $300, $200 and $100 will go to first-, second- and third-place winners in each category. Writers can submit as many entries as they want, but only their best submission will win. All entries of quality will be collected and published in an anthology that will be added to all three libraries’ collections. The deadline for all submissions is March 17, 2025.
Here are some general guidelines:
• All poetic forms are accepted
• Short stories must be 5,000 words or less
• All submissions must be original
• Submissions for all ages and categories can be made online at https://forms.gle/u2hmsKT5VycfEMSM6
• All first-, second- and third-place winners will have the chance to read their work aloud for Krystal 93
• All poetic forms are accepted
• Short stories must be 5,000 words or less
• All submissions must be original
• Submissions for all ages and categories can be made online at https://forms.gle/u2hmsKT5VycfEMSM6
• All first-, second- and third-place winners will have the chance to read their work aloud for Krystal 93
The first author visit will be Jan. 18. Byron Graves, an award-winning young adult writer, will engage listeners with his journey as a writer and where he finds inspiration. The talk will be free to the public. It begins at 5 p.m. at the North Branch Library in Silverthorne.
In February, acclaimed author Pam Houston will speak at the North Branch library in Silverthorne at 6 p.m. Feb. 5. Her stories are included in volumes of The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories of the Century. She is best known for her book "Cowboys Are my Weakness." Houston teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts, is a professor of English at U.C. Davis and is co-founder and creative director of the literary nonprofit Writing By Writers. The event is free.
Other sponsors of Write the Rockies are Next Page Books and the Education Foundation of the Summit.