Teens honored for excellence in fiction writing

CASHMERE – Cashmere High School freshman Grace Hodges won first place in the 13th annual Teen Short Fiction Competition for her story "Stag".

"I was really excited," Hodges said. "I was shocked. But I was really, really excited because I haven't really done any contest like this in the past. So yeah, it was a really cool opportunity."

The competition is sponsored by Write on the River and NCW Libraries.  

Librarians from across the region, along with members of NCW Libraries' Teen Library Council, judged an all-time high number of competitive entries. Along with Hodges, two other students were selected to share the $200 cash award for their original fiction writing.

Orlo Parkinson, a freshman at Liberty Bell High School in Twisp received an Honorable Mention for his story "Like Love, Like Lightning". And Ella Stepanov, a homeschooled sophomore from Chelan, also received an Honorable Mention for her story for "The Sound of Silence".

Hodges was inspired to enter the contest after judging it last year as a member of the Teen Library Council. Reading the entries motivated her to write her own story this year, but Hodges has been writing for years now.

"Around the third grade, I had an elementary school teacher who kind of introduced me to good books," she said. "And then we had a contest in the fourth grade that I ended up winning, and so that kind of sparked some passion for it, and I've been writing pretty consistently for the past like five years now."

"I usually am just inspired to write by other books that I read like the "Stag" story in particular it was based on some of my thoughts after reading "The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller," she said.

When Hodges is not reading and writing, she enjoys playing soccer. She is also president of her school's Technology Student Association club and enjoys filmmaking. 

Hodges is interested in writing and screenwriting as well.

"I've always kind of thought about what I want to do after high school with writing and I can't really imagine, like, a career for myself that doesn't involve it," she said.

The contest was open to students in grades 9-12, including those privately or homeschooled and in Running Start, in the NCW Libraries' service area. The submitting writers attend schools throughout Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Grant, and Ferry counties. 

Learn more about the winners and read their winning submissions at writeontheriver.org.

After visiting Wenatchee as a Write on the River Conference keynote speaker in 2011, New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Cain initiated and continues to sponsor the annual competition. 

NCW Libraries' mission is to connect the people of NCW to vital resources and opportunities that foster individual growth and strengthen communities. Write on the River's mission is to foster the writing arts and sustain a vital NCW writing community.

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media.