Bucks students are invited
to compete in the Short Story Contest by Oct. 17 for a chance to win cash prizes and recognition for writing.
The contest is open to all adults 18 years or older that are a
resident of Bucks County,
however Bucks full-time and part-time staff are not eligible
to enter.
A cash prize of $200 will be awarded to the first-place winner, $100 to the second-place winner and $50 for the third-place winner.
All winners will be honored at a reception dinner that will be held on the Newtown campus in early December. Arthur, Kelly Simmons will be the final judge of the competition and will also appear with the top winners at the reception.
Simmons, a graduate of
both Temple University and University of Pennsylvania, is a former journalist who began
writing fiction novels about 15 years ago. As a writer herself, Simmons is more than delighted to be the judge for this year’s contest.
“I went to community college myself, and am a big advocate of it. The dedicated teachers
and hardworking students are perennially underappreciated at these institutions, and I always want to help,” Simmons explained when asked why she agreed to be a judge.
Simmons continued, “Short stories are always fun to read –they’re like the appetizers of fiction! And I enjoy seeing how young people interpret this classic form. I’m particularly
interested to see how local
settings and places might be incorporated into their work.”
Writing novels that have been described as “emotional page turners” could be one of the reasons why Professor Elizabeth Luciano, director of this year’s competition, asked Simmons to judge the competition in the first place.
When the judging position was proposed to her, Simmons wasn’t exactly sure why she was asked to judge.
“The woman running it had heard me speak at a writer’s conference, and was impressed by something although I know not what,” Simmons joked. “My sparkling wit, perhaps?”
Being a published writer
with several novels available,
it was almost impossible to ask Simmons what exactly inspires her.
“Well, I wish I could simply say ‘nature’ or ‘strangers on the subway’ but the honest answer is ‘details.’ Small things that are symbolic of big things, whether that’s a phrase I overhear, or the way a tree shades a window, it’s all fodder,” said Simmons
All contestants must submit their submission through the online form, which can be found on the Bucks’ website, by 12 p.m. on Oct. 17. Winners will be notified by Luciano within two weeks of the submission deadline.