Livingston Writers Earn National Kudos

Livingston High School students join the ranks of writers Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, and Joyce Carol Oates in earning kudos in the 2012-2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Regional winners of the competition have been announced; those students who have earned a "Gold Key" will see their work advance in the competition.

Rachel Geffner won honorable mention for a personal essay/memoir entitled "The Things I Carry."

Christina Qiu won a Silver Key for a short story, "Ten Minutes in a Brook."

Nithikasen Sorasicha won a Gold Key for a short story, "Ma and her Boots."

Oriana Tang won honorable mention for both poetry and short story entries; she also won a Silver Key for a short story entitled "Portrait of a Family."

Danielle Weidner won honorable mention for "The Voices," a short story, and a Silver Key for a poetry collection.

Student submissions are judged by luminaries in the literary arts, some of whom are past award recipients. Notable past jurors include Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Judy Blume, Paula Poundstone, Lesley Stahl, Billy Collins, and David Sedaris.

Panelists look for works that best exemplify the Awards’ core values:  originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. In the past five years, submissions have topped 700,000 works, and students have been eligible for over $25 million in awards and scholarships.