Youth Write for Radio contest - 2010 winners
The winners of this year's Youth Write for Radio contest (a partnership of CBC Saskatchewan and St. Peter's College) have been announced:
They are Jialin Liu of Saskatoon for "Your Smile"
Says internationally recognized mystery writer, and contest judge Gail Bowen, "Jialin Liu made multiple submissions. Each of them showed a solid understanding of what a dramatic monologue should be; each demonstrated real talent. Jialin is already an accomplished writer, and I hope her success in CBC Radio Youth Write will encourage her to keep honing her craft.
I've chosen "Your Smile" as a winning entry. The monologue powerfully reveals how a young woman trapped in a nightmare existence sees the world. Liu uses fragments of Clair's life: past and present to reveal her speaker's thoughts as her life moves inexorably towards its end. "Your Smile" is a bleak portrait of a young woman who has come to the point where she believes death is her best option.
"Your Smile" is a fine and mature piece of writing, and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to read it.
and Dariya Veenstra of Maidstone's "The Monster Inside of My Head"
Says Bowen "I am pleased to select Dariya Veenstra's submission "The Monster
inside of my head" as a winning entry. One of the appeals of the dramatic
monologue is the way in which it reveals more about the speaker than the
speaker realizes. The young anorexic at the heart of this submission is
painfully honest about her relationship with "the monster", but because we
are outside the situation, readers are able to see truths that perhaps the
speaker, herself does not recognize. Simply put, Dariya Veenstra
understands how to use the form of the dramatic monologue to serve her
purpose in writing. That, in itself, is an accomplishment.
Dariya Veenstra's style also serves her purpose. She establishes a
relationship between the speaker and her audience that immediately pulls us
into the young anorexic's world. It is a frightening place, and Veenstra's
ability to make us feel both its allure and its terror is proof that she has
a future as a writer. I am honoured to have been present at the beginning
of her career."
Bowen also selected two younger writers, Jessy Lee Saas of Moose Jaw and Nikki Poncsak of Regina, for honorable mentions.
Contest producer Kelley Jo Burke says that this year's submission's were especially strong, "The category of dramatic monologue yielded some of the most heartfelt and moving writing we've had in the competition. All the young writers should be enormously proud of themselves."
The winners receive a writer's fee, and a full professional production of their writing on CBC Saskatchewan's SoundXchange. And again this year, St. Peters College, located in east central Saskatchewan on 250 scenic acres of mixed forest overlooking Wolverine Creek, is offering each winner a scholarship plus free registration in one of St. Peters Summer Workshops, instructed by renowned artists and award winning poets.
A scholarship of up to six credit units (an $840.00 value), which covers tuition in a full-year university course of your choice at St. Peters College. This gives you the chance to enrol in the Colleges extraordinary Writing Diploma. St. Peters College is also offering the opportunity to publish your work in the Society, an annual College publication that showcases exceptional student writing and visual art with that of emerging and established contributors from across Canada. St. Peters College is affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan and offers fully accredited Arts and Science, Commerce and Agriculture courses to first and second year students. Many students attend St. Peter's to fill the Arts and Science entrance requirements for professional colleges such as education, medicine, pharmacy, law, dentistry, and veterinary medicine at other universities.
FMI information contact Kelley Jo Burke (306 347 9426) kelley.jo.burke@cbc.ca
