Adult Non Fiction Winner; Tosha Griggs

VBIED

by Tosha Griggs

            Time isn’t even effective in dulling the shocking sight and memory, of the aftermath, from a vehicular-borne improvised exploding device, (VBIED). Sitting in my living room I can close my eyes, and I’m instantly transported back to the bridge on Route Irish in Baghdad, Iraq. My memory is like a time machine, and now I’m back at that bridge with the colossal chaos of carnage and wreckage in front of me.

The smell hit me even before I got off the truck. The blue sky was spoiled with a billow of black smoke that tattooed my nostrils with a smell I will never forget. The sinister smoke smelled like a cannibal’s campfire with a touch of burnt hair. All around me, pulverized particles of ominous dust thickened the air that contaminated my lips with a noxious, gritty, salty taste.

Above my head the sun was hidden behind a cloud; casting somber rays down on me. It was over 110 degrees outside and sweat dripped from every pore soaking the goose bumps on my arms.

As I stepped off the truck, I could see the structure of the bridge was made of grey, hard concrete. This sight triggered a familiar visual memory of concrete over passes at home. That familiar feeling instantly vaporized, when 20ft in front of me, I saw a monstrous gaping hole, in the solid concrete. The unbelievably massive hole was like an entrance to hell that waited to welcome someone to fall in. To the far left, a spooky mosque loomed over me, that caused me to become hyper vigilant of its presence. My imagination pictured a sniper waiting in the crow’s nest that wanted to play a deadly game of peak-a-boo! The chain link fence that lined the bridge, on either side of me, was bowed out and mangled from the shock wave. It was like the bridge’s bones were broken. I felt overwhelmed at the thought of the amount of force it took to cause that.

My eyes scanned the scene in front of me, and took mental pictures of the mile long suicidal highway. Twisted, mangled, broken parts of car were randomly scattered across the highway, in front of me. Unidentifiable red splats littered the grey concrete under my feet. I could tell by the moist look and foul smell that it was some unknown body part, of the suicide bomber, that had been reduced to a bomber tartar for the flies. Next to the random splats, I found bits of burnt flannel clothing that revealed a disturbing glimpse of the bombers fashion sense. On the right side of the road, a leather sandal sat, missing the owner’s foot, but oddly still intact.  As I walked to the edge of the bridge, and peered over, I felt as if I were dreaming. The smoke that emanated up from the burning car down below left me feeling like I was in a surreal haze. My mind processed no logical thoughts. My heart beat increased thumping against the ceramic plate in my flak vest. Unconsciously my eyes began to water from the burn of the intense smoke that savagely consumed the air. Down below, on the other side of the bridge, inside the car, submerged in flames, were the charred figures of two people.

When I open my eyes I’m back at home, in my living room, safe and sound. The only images of Iraq I see are on the TV.  My mental time travel journey is over. Years separate my mind from that shocking day. That day may be gone but the memory of the VBIED has not left my mind yet, although I wish it would.

Denton Writes 2012 Winners

The Denton Public Library would like to thank all who participated in and those who encouraged others to participate in Denton Writes 2012. This year’s writing contest which was open to children, youth, teens and adults, received more than 150 entries.

A congratulatory reception will be held to recognize and congratulate the winners Wednesday, May 16 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library.

The winners for each category are as follows:

Adult Poetry

1^st Place – Hurry Up!  Slow Down! by Christina Smith

2^nd  Place – Unaccompanied by Beth Honeycutt

3^rd Place – The Intension of Knot by Febe Moss

Honorable Mention – Thinking Of Sara Kane At The Turkey Creek Trail, Austin – David C. Kupfer

Adult Fiction

1^st Place  – Coach Dee by Sherri White

2^nd  Place  – A Notice  by Marian Fleischmann

3^rd  Place – Deeper Than An Ocean by Ryan Barnhart

Adult Nonfiction

1^st Place  – VBIED by Tosha Griggs

2^nd  Place  – Anatomy 101 by Christine Thomas

3^rd Place – The Temptation of Books by Kay Branum

Teen Poetry

 

1^st Place  – Where Do You Come From? by Christine Yuan

2^nd  Place  – Four Faces by Margaux Khosraviani

3^rd Place – Gods of Death Love Apples by Bailey Locklear

Hon. Mention – A Potent Poison by Seth Feeney

 

 

Teen Fiction

 

1^st Place  – Kick Out The Jams by Rachel Valentine

2^nd  Place  – The Most Cruel Story of A Girl With Unimaginable Red Hair by Josie Baker

3^rd Place – The Mirror by Katharine Baxter

Teen Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – Shakespeare: A Man of All Times by Varada Salimath

2^nd  Place  – Latvia, A Swell Country by Ashlyn Kate Baack

 

Youth Poetry

1^st Place  – I Am  by Victoria Langham

2^nd  Place  – Opposites In Space by Hannah Bradshaw

3^rd Place – The Flag, The Flag by Lindsey Duffin

Hon. Mention – Everyone Wants To Be Successful by Alice Wang

 

Youth Fiction

 

1^st Place  – A Map To The Magical Forest by Victoria Langham

2^nd  Place  – The Ghost of Pearl Harbor by Rae Hillman

3^rd Place – Denton Writing Contest  by Alice Wang

Youth Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – Corrie Ten Boom by Grace Elizabeth Baack

2^nd  Place  – Moving  by Alice Wang

3^rd Place – My Best Friend Emily by Zoe Graves

Hon. Mention – Shoes Are Important by Deborah Samuelson

 

Children’s Poetry

 

1^st Place  – The Color Green  by Mia Knight

2^nd Place – The Awesome Poem by Madden Shoebotham

3^rd Place -  Thunderstorm by Aden Burdge

Children’s Fiction

1^st Place  – Easter on the Farm by Jamie Ordonez

2^nd  Place  – Evangeline’s New Friend  by Eloise Bourns

3^rd Place – Dinosaur Recovery Team by Jeremy Clark McKay

Children’s Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – The Bare Facts About Bare Feet by Micah Powell

2^nd Place – The Polar Bear Slip Up by Elijah Jones

3^rd Place – Right Foot, Left Foot by Hannah Reynolds

Denton Writes 2012 Winners !

The Denton Public Library would like to thank all who participated in and those who encouraged others to participate in Denton Writes 2012. This year’s writing contest which was open to children, youth, teens and adults, received more than 150 entries.

A congratulatory reception will be held to recognize and congratulate the winners Wednesday, May 16 from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library.

The winners for each category are as follows:

Adult Poetry

1^st Place – Hurry Up!  Slow Down! by Christina Smith

2^nd  Place – Unaccompanied by Beth Honeycutt

3^rd Place – The Intension of Knot by Febe Moss

Honorable Mention – Thinking Of Sara Kane At The Turkey Creek Trail, Austin – David C. Kupfer

Adult Fiction

1^st Place  – Coach Dee by Sherri White

2^nd  Place  – A Notice  by Marian Fleischmann

3^rd  Place – Deeper Than An Ocean by Ryan Barnhart

Adult Nonfiction

1^st Place  – VBIED by Tosha Griggs

2^nd  Place  – Anatomy 101 by Christine Thomas

3^rd Place – The Temptation of Books by Kay Branum

Teen Poetry

 

1^st Place  – Where Do You Come From? by Christine Yuan

2^nd  Place  – Four Faces by Margaux Khosraviani

3^rd Place – Gods of Death Love Apples by Bailey Locklear

Hon. Mention – A Potent Poison by Seth Feeney

 

 

Teen Fiction

 

1^st Place  – Kick Out The Jams by Rachel Valentine

2^nd  Place  – The Most Cruel Story of A Girl With Unimaginable Red Hair by Josie Baker

3^rd Place – The Mirror by Katharine Baxter

Teen Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – Shakespeare: A Man of All Times by Varada Salimath

2^nd  Place  – Latvia, A Swell Country by Ashlyn Kate Baak

 

Youth Poetry

1^st Place  – I Am  by Victoria Langham

2^nd  Place  – Opposites In Space by Hannah Bradshaw

3^rd Place – The Flag, The Flag by Lindsey Duffin

Hon. Mention – Everyone Wants To Be Successful by Alice Wang

 

Youth Fiction

 

1^st Place  – A Map To The Magical Forest by Victoria Langham

2^nd  Place  – The Ghost of Pearl Harbor by Rae Hillman

3^rd Place – Denton Writing Contest  by Alice Wang

Youth Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – Corrie Ten Boom by Grace Elizabeth Baak

2^nd  Place  – Moving  by Alice Wang

3^rd Place – My Best Friend Emily by Zoe Graves

Hon. Mention – Shoes Are Important by Deborah Samuelson

 

Children’s Poetry

 

1^st Place  – The Color Green  by Mia Knight

2^nd Place – The Awesome Poem by Madden Shoebotham

3^rd Place -  Thunderstorm by Aden Burdge

Children’s Fiction

1^st Place  – Easter on the Farm by Jamie Ordonez

2^nd  Place  – Evangeline’s New Friend  by Eloise Bourns

3^rd Place – Dinosaur Recovery Team by Jeremy Clark McKay

Children’s Nonfiction

 

1^st Place  – The Bare Facts About Bare Feet by Micah Powell

2^nd Place – The Polar Bear Slip Up by Elijah Jones

3^rd Place – Right Foot, Left Foot by Hannah Reynolds

Denton Writes 2010 – Submission Guidelines

Denton Writes 2010 Submission Guidelines

Enter now through April 25, 2010 by emailing  your work as a Word doc. or  rtf. attachment to:

dentonwrites2010@gmail.com

You may only enter  once per category.  All entries should include the following:

Full Name

Email Address

Telephone Number

Age (children and teens only)

Category of Writing

* if Poetry, indicate Free Verse or Form; if Form, please specify the form

* if non-fiction, indicate essay, article, memoir, etc.

Writing Categories and Word Limits – Adult and Teen (7th – 12th grade)

Fiction – 1000 – 4500 words (literary or genre)

Non-Fiction – 350 –2500 words (articles, essays, memoirs, etc.)

Poetry – Free Verse or Format (poet stated)

Min. line count 5– Max line count 50

Writing Categories and Word Limits – Children (2nd – 6th grade)

Fiction – maximum words 1500

Non-Fiction – maximum words 1500

Poetry – Free Verse or Form (poet stated)

Min. line count 5– Max line count 30

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or send an email to dentonwrites2010@gmail.com or to Juli Gonzalez at juli.gonzalez@cityofdenton.com

Denton Writes 2010

In celebration of April’s National Poetry Month, the Denton Public Library is hosting its third annual writing contest, Denton Writes 2010.  Along with the contest, various writing workshops and activities will be held from now through the month of April.

Once again, the writing contest is open to teens, adults and children.

Library patrons are invited to submit original, unpublished fiction, non-fiction and poems.  There are easy-to-follow submission guidelines available on the Denton Public Library’s website (http://www.dentonlibrary.com), blog (http://dentonlibrary.wordpress.com) and MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/dentonlibrary).

Entries can be sent to the contest email address, dentonwrites2010@gmail.com, and will be accepted through, April 25.

“The last two years were extremely successful, with nearly 300 entries each and we are hoping to see even more participation this year,” said Terri Sharp, Emily Fowler Central Library Branch Manager. “We will also provide writing workshops and programs such as our third annual Author’s Forum to help inspire the people of Denton to express themselves through the written word.”

Local editors, poets and authors will judge the entries for the four divisions: second through fourth grade, fifth through sixth grade, teens and adults.  There will be one winner and one honorable mention per division, per writing category.  Contestants are invited to submit one entry per writing category but may not submit more than one entry in any single category.

The winners will be announced in mid May.  Winning entries will be published on the Denton Public Library’s blog and the MySpace page. Winners will again be featured in American Library Association READ posters that will be displayed at all three library branches. In addition, through the support of the Friends of the Denton Public Libraries, each winner and honorable mention will receive a complimentary copy of Versifico 2010. Versifico is the title of the book in which all winning works are published.  Both Versifico and Versifico 2009 are available for checkout at all three branches.

A congratulatory reception will be held on May 26, 2010 at the North Branch Library to announce the winners and unveil their Read Posters.

Writing Contest Winner – Amie Lathrop – Teen Poetry

Prisoner of the Wired

by Amie Lathrop

 

A cold, dark room
Screen’s faint glow
Chair legs quietly creak
A sound of key tapping low

One person, all alone
Sitting in the only chair
Hands quickly move the mouse
Eyes reflect with the light’s care

What’s real is gone
Human limits too tired
The cyber world is calling
Another prisoner of the wired

Copyright ©2007  Amie  Lathrop

 

Writing Contest Winner – Ivey Barr – Teen Poetry

 

 Slippery Slidey Icy Cold 

by Ivey Barr 

Slippery Slidey Icy Cold

An Icy World’s not boring.

We thought the Ice was like White Gold,

Allie and I and Lauren. 

The next-door driveway was solid Ice,

Snowy, cold and Icy.

We all thought it was very nice,

Lauren and I and Allie. 

Our fingers and toes were bright bright red.

We came in with a great big sigh.

With clouded glasses down we sat,

Lauren and Allie and I.

Writing Contest Winner – Patrick Yoo – Teen Personal Essay

Almonds

by Patrick Yoo

I was about the least popular guy at school.   I wore the same pants every single day, wore the same old dirty Air 1′s, and the same hair for every two weeks until I got a haircut. I guess I was pretty smart. I was athletic. I didn’t seem to understand at the time why nobody would seem to be very close to me. There just was no reason for people to not like me. But it was like I looked in the mirror for the first time. I saw the almond shaped Asian eyes that, for some reason, people did not seem to find very intriguing. Although I possessed those nuts for eyes, I knew I could do something to hide them. At least partially sure. I looked around school one day. I saw the clothes they wore. The brands that they labeled must have been their source of confidence. There was possibly no way to buy them, being on the budget my family was on. I whined. To the parents that had to work their way into the ‘rich’ neighborhood, I whined like a baby to buy at least one shirt from American Eagle, which seemed to be accepted at the time. Being so tired of the nagging; I forced my parents into car, speeding to the nearest mall. I hurriedly ran inside, bursting through crowds of such ‘cool’ people into the American Eagle shop. Or shoppe. It was supposed to be fancy, right? I looked at all the choices. The style of it seemed so foreign to me, and too many people were staring at the little Asian, so I grabbed a shirt, threw it on the counter and bought it. I didn’t even check what size it was. I literally pulled on the shirt the moment I walked out of the shop. Shoppe. I slept in it. Then I wore it to school. I didn’t get the attention that I thought. I thought I would suddenly be popular, amazing to the people. I was the same little Asian that I was before I bought the shirt. I thought I could finally be alike for once; finally fit in. My dreams were shattered.

Writing Contest Winner – Jessica Collins – Teen Personal Essay

Personal Essay

by Jessica Collins

A time that I felt different was the first time I went to a teen Bible study and hung out with a type of people I usually do not hang out with.

As soon as I entered through the French doors of the fine home my eyes were met by black: black hair, black cloths, black makeup. I entered slowly, slightly taken back by this new world. I felt like my golden blonde hair, sky blue shirt, and dark wash denim jeans stuck out like a sore thumb against this world of night. Every one except my self was clad in the same color: black, except for their faces which were white.   For all the gloom that their appearance suggested, they greeted me quite warmly. Still feeling slightly out of place, I stayed close to the food bar until it was time for our discussion. When the topic was opened the others immediately started sharing their experience with the small group.  I held back, feeling my self slip deeper and deeper into my shell as they discussed things my innocent mind only thought happened in movies and T.V. shows.  Occasionally they would ask me my thoughts about the topic and I would open up my flood gates of Biblical knowledge, but could not find, even in the deepest reaches of my mind, an experience to share with them. When they realized I had no story to tell nor experience to share the watching eyes left and went back to one another. Through most of the night I acted like a recluse, keeping mostly to myself. Afterwards they talked about the different type of things they like to do, listen to music, talk, shop, play video games. Even on the rare occasion I would like something they did I would like it on different level or different style then they would. I was glad for the games where no one had to talk about themselves or each other.  In these games, such as Monopoly or Dance Dance Revolution,   I felt normal and part of the group.  I was glade I could fit in, even on a small scale. When it finally came time to depart I could not help the light wave of relief that swept over me. Even after the beautiful house had long left my sight, the feeling of simply being different from the others stayed with me for many hours after.

Creative Writing Contest Winner – Devon Cooper – Teen Personal Essay

 

The Truth Behind The Smile

by Devon Cooper

     Opening up the newspaper, I scan along the headlines and come to a stop at the obituaries.
      Looking at the smiling faces of people who are no longer with us, reading about their life, age, and death. I began to remember the horrifying time when the picture smiling back at me was a 73-year-old man from Decatur, Texas, who had a pretty amazing life, with a family of two sons and a wife of 48 years, and four grandchildren. He wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; death was brought upon him as a result of past habits that destroyed his health. He passed away at a nursing home early in the morning in his sleep. But. What stuck out, that most ordinary people didn’t know, was that this charming guy had a granddaughter, who was the eldest of all the grandchildren, and who was most attached to this man, and who was his favorite little girl. Me.
       But. A simple obit doesn’t begin to describe this man’s life. No where in this piece of paper does it mention the hardships this man had to face during his life time. No where does it mention him waking up at three o’clock every morning to go to work so that his children and wife would have enough money to put food on the table and clothes on their backs. No where does it mention the car wreck that was the start of his continuous back pain and arthritis. And no where does it mention his non-stop drinking and smoking that ruined his health.
       Nor, did this obit mention all the great things in his life that made the bad things not so bad.
       It didn’t mention his eldest son’s talent for football, basketball, baseball, and just about every other sport. No where did it mention the joy in his face of seeing his son ,my dad, play varsity quarterback for the Decatur Eagles. It also didn’t mention his happiness with his youngest son who showed cattle and played football during high school. But most importantly. It didn’t show the things that mattered to him the most. His grandchildren.
       The granddad I knew was one of the sweetest guys ever. The guy I knew never drank and never yelled at me except when I was a toddler throwing tantrums. The guy I knew would have done anything for me and the rest of his grandchildren to make us happy. The guy I knew was a man who would sit at the table across from you and smoke a cigarette and tell you some story of his past that would take about 45 minutes to tell. The guy I knew was not only my favorite grandparent but also my best friend.
       One thing it did tell you was that he died on January 6, 2006. But it didn’t tell you that around 3:00 in the morning, I was awaken by my dad’s fake cheery voice. It didn’t tell you that with one look at my dad’s and mom’s faces, I knew something was wrong. It didn’t tell you the feeling I had when my dad told me the news. But now that I think about it. I don’t think it could. Words couldn’t really describe the way my heart felt that day, the way my stomach was clenched like a fist, the way my brain didn’t want to believe he was gone, and the way it felt to be without him. 
       The obit also mentioned the date of the visitation and of the funeral. But you wouldn’t have known the feeling I had driving to Coker Funeral Home for the visitation. You probably wouldn’t have known I had never been to a visitation or funeral so I had no idea what to expect. You probably wouldn’t have known that as soon as I saw his lifeless body lying there that the world as I knew it fell apart. You probably wouldn’t have known that the next day at his funeral I didn’t hear a word the preacher spoke. You probably wouldn’t have known that I was sitting there crying, praying that it was all a nightmare I was about to awake from. And you definitely wouldn’t have known the feeling I had before they shut the casket for the last time. You wouldn’t have known how bad I didn’t want them to shut that casket, how bad I wanted them to leave it open so I would never have to be without him. And so I wouldn’t have to know that it was my last time to ever see him again and to know for the rest of my life that that casket would be buried underground and that I would never be able to hug him again and kiss him goodbye.
        So that little piece of paper that wouldn’t have changed the ordinary person’s life tore mine apart.