This past weekend The Palette & The Page hosted Cecil College’s third annual Creative Writing Prize for students. This spring, the English department encouraged students to enter their best pieces of fiction, poetry, or non-fiction essays to compete for the award, which includes a certificate and a small monetary prize. Additionally, the winners were given the opportunity to read their work for an audience at The Palette & The Page on Main Street in Elkton. This year the reading was hosted on April 7 and was moderated by Patti Paulus, the owner of The Palette & The Page.

The three winners of this year’s prize read portions of their works of fiction. First to read was Mary Poorman who wrote a piece entitled “The Importance of Floral Couches.” The story explored imagery and symbolism surrounding a floral couch. Sara Sowiak, an English major, presented her story “The Power of a Mountain Highway” which centered around the narrative of a young college woman’s car breaking down on the side of the road. Interestingly, this was Sowiak’s first attempt at writing fiction. The final award winner to read was Matthew Riley with his tale “Team Todd” which explored the nature of twin differences and family expectations. The last to read from Cecil College was one of the judges of the Creative Writing Prize, Professor Nathanael Tagg. He recently produced his own book of poetry, an interview about which can be read here: https://seahawksquawk.com/2018/03/28/cecils-professor-tagg-publishes-book-of-poetry/.

Located on East Main Street in downtown Elkton, The Palette & The Page is an adorable art gallery and bookshop. They are proud to be the home of several local artists and authors. In addition, The Palette & The Page also hosts many events such as the Creative Writing Prize reading, open mics, and wine tastings. The prize reading was a combination event with an open mic. This evening featured multiple local poets including Cecil’s own adjunct faculty member, Lisa Lutwyche. As of this event, her book, “A Difficult Animal”, is available for purchase at The Palette & The Page.

The Creative Writing Prize will open again next year in January and winners will be chosen in March.