We are excited to announce a new collaboration this year between Winters Friends of the Library, the Yolo County Library, and Stories on Stage.
This program combines a writing contest for teens with an online presentation from author Reyna Grande on April 24. Essays must be submitted by March 25. Read on for submission and winning details.
Calling All Yolo County High School Writers
Tell us your story for a chance to hear it performed alongside an excerpt of author Reyna Grande’s The Distance Between Us in a live virtual event.
Ms. Grande will choose the winner, who will receive a cash prize of $100, a one-year membership to the Friends of the Library group in their community, and have their story performed on Saturday, April 24th.
Deadline: Thursday, March 25, 2021
The Writing Situation
Reyna Grande was born in Iguala, Mexico. She was two when her father left for the U.S., followed by her mother several years later. When her father came back for her, Grande entered the U.S. illegally as a child, an experience she explored in her acclaimed memoir The Distance Between Us. Grande’s is a story about resilience in the face of daunting obstacles, and it demonstrates the heart’s remarkable capacity for forgiveness and compassion towards others.
The Writing Prompts
We want to hear your story. As Reyna Grande struggled as a young adult to overcome life’s challenges, so have many students, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Write a short autobiographical story in response to one of the following topics:
#1 Describe an experience where you overcame an obstacle. How did you overcome it and what did you learn from the experience?
#2 Describe an experience where you have shown compassion or forgiveness, especially in the last year. What were the effects of your compassion or forgiveness on other people?
Requirements
- You must be a Yolo County resident currently attending high school.
- You must respond to one of the prompts with an autobiographical story up to 750 words in length. Include the prompt (or prompt number) and the word count at the top of your submission.
- You must submit your work using this SurveyMonkey form. You will not be able to save your work on the submission form. Write your story on a separate document, then copy and paste your story into the field. Before you submit, we strongly recommend you read your story out loud to yourself or to your family to see how it sounds aloud. You will need to enter your email and phone number to complete the SurveyMonkey application.
- If your work is selected as the winning entry, you must be able to record a short commentary about your work that will be shared during the event.
- In consultation with the writer, the winning entry may be edited slightly for the performance.
Details from https://yolocountylibrary.org/tell-your-story/
Presented by Stories on Stage Davis, Winters Friends of the Library, and the Yolo County Library
Register for the event
The live virtual event on April 24 is free, but you must register in advance.
