WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR EDITH WHARTON WRITING COMPETITION

Lenox, MA (May 21, 2007) --

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                         

CONTACT: DAVID DASHIELL
May 14, 2007                                                                                                       413/637-1899, ext. 115

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR
EDITH WHARTON WRITING COMPETITION

The winners in the tenth annual Edith Wharton Writing Competition have been announced by The Mount, co-sponsors of the competition with The Berkshire Eagle. The yearly event, open to all high school juniors and seniors in Berkshire County and bordering towns, was established to encourage and reward good writing in the name of one of America’s greatest writers.  

The competition is underwritten by a generous grant from The Foxhollow School Foundation. Good writing was central to an education at The Foxhollow School, which owned The Mount from 1942 to 1975.

165 entries were received in the three categories of fiction, poetry, and essay. The judges for the competition this year were: Cassandra Cleghorn for essay, Karen Shepard for fiction, and Peter Filkins for poetry.  Cleghorn and Shepard are faculty members at Williams College, and Filkins is on the faculty of Simon’s Rock College of Bard.   

The First Place winners, receiving an award of $500 each and publication in The Berkshire Eagle, are:
Essay: Clara Gordon (Monument Mountain Regional High School, 11^th grade): “A Calculated Beauty”
Fiction: Grace Laidlaw (Mt. Greylock Regional High School, 12^th grade): “Class Picture”
Poetry: Timothy Le Clair (St. Joseph Central High School, 12^th grade): “City Life” and “Heritage”

Winners of the Citation of Merit, receiving an award of $100 each and publication in The Berkshire Eagle, are:
Essay: Simone Olivieri (Taconic High School, 11^th grade): “Forever A Country Girl”
Fiction: Anna Swann-Pye (Mt. Greylock Regional High School, 11^th grade): “The Wedding”
Poetry: Clare Cooke (Monument Mountain Regional High School, 12^th grade): “A Conch Shell” and “The Train”

The judges also cited entrants deserving Honorable Mention. They are:
Essay: Nicole Grandchamp (Drury High School, 12^th grade): “Foster Home”
Fiction: Ariel Downey-Small (Wahconah Regional High School, 12^th grade): “He Said, She Said”;
Stasia Whalen (Pittsfield High School, 11^th grade): “To Bake a Cake”
Poetry: Jenna Haley (Drury High School, 11^th grade): “A Moment in Life”;
Mara Wineberg (Hoosac Valley High School, 12^th grade): “Autumn”

A ceremony honoring the awardees will be held at The Mount, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, on Thursday, May 31 at 4:00 PM.  For additional information, please call David Dashiell at (413) 637-1899, ext. 115. 

# # #