Emrys

Alex Hubbard of Spartanburg won the poetry contest for a set of three poems. He is a senior English major at Wofford College. Of his work, the judge said, “I find all three poems deeply moving, painfully honest, and masterfully crafted. These poems instruct and inspire me.” Second place in poetry went to Terresa Haskew of Greenville, a poet and fiction writer who also has received first prize in the 2010 Press 53 Open Awards. The third place poetry winner was Alice Baird of Greenville, who serves as development communications director and editor of publications at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville.

The winner in the short story contest was Valerie Keiser Norris, a Greenville fiction writer who is a former winner of the Carrie McCrae Literary Award. Of her winning story, the judge said, “With gut-wrenching intensity, ‘Simple Roast Chicken’ explores the pain of a young couple who have lost their infant daughter. The final scene, which combines cooking imagery with tactile memories of bathing the dead child, is horrible and beautiful at the same time. Masterfully written.” Second place in fiction went to Joe Bodie of Greer, a writer, musician, and artist, for a story called “Summer Storms.” The third place winner was Terresa Haskew.

First place winners of these contests receive a scholarship to the week-long Wildacres Writers Workshop in Little Switzerland, N.C. in July. Second and third place winners receive full or partial scholarships to Hub City’s Writing in Place conference July 12-14. The judge in the fiction contest was novelist Andrew Geyer, a member of the creative writing faculty at the University of South Carolina Aiken and author of the novel Dixie Fish. The judge for the poetry contest was Cathy Smith Bowers of Tryon, a past poet laureate of North Carolina and author of the poetry collection Like Shining from Shook Foil.

The Hub City Writers Project is a non-profit organization in Spartanburg dedicated to cultivating readers and nurturing writers through its independent small press, community bookstore, and diverse literary programming that serves our community and beyond. The Emrys Foundation, based in Greenville, nurtures creativity among emerging and established writers.