Ohioana announces Robert Fox Award for Young Writers

Columbus: The Ohioana Library Association has announced the 2008 Ohioana Robert Fox Award for Young Writers winners. The award is named in memory of Robert Fox (1943 – 2005), a former Ohioana Board member, writer, and poet who spent his professional life creating a nurturing environment for Ohio’s writers.

Ohio students in grades 9 - 12 submitted entries of either poetry or prose for the award. Three members of the Ohio Teachers of English Language Arts served as judges for the contest. A first, second, and third place award was given in each category.

The Fox Awards will be presented by Ohio First Lady Frances Strickland during the opening ceremony of the second annual Ohioana Book Festival: Celebrating Ohio’s Authors, slated for May 10, 2008, 10:00AM to 4:30PM, at the State Library of Ohio, located at 274 E. First Ave., Suite 100, Columbus.

“On a day when Ohioana is celebrating Ohio’s authors – it is most appropriate that we recognize young writers who we hope will some day be with us as a nationally recognized author,” said Linda Hengst, Ohioana’s Executive Director.

The Ohioana Robert Fox Award for Young Writers winners are:

Prose:

1^st Place: Kelsey Owen, 12^th grade, of Canfield High School in Canfield (sponsoring teacher: Colleen Ruggieri);

2^nd Place: Caroline Mundhenk, 11^th grade, of Miami Valley Career Tech Center in Clayton (sponsoring teacher: Sandy Hartley);

3^rd Place: Lauren Fekete, 12^th grade, of Canfield High School in Canfield (sponsoring teacher: Colleen Ruggieri).

Poetry:

1^st Place: Sarah Konz, 10^th grade, of Edgewood High School in Trenton (sponsoring teacher: Katrina Fugate);

2^nd Place: Narine Wandrey, 10^th grade, of Kenston High School in Chagrin Falls (sponsoring teacher: Anthony Marchesi);

3^rd Place: Ashley Luehrman, 10^th grade, of Athens High School in The Plains (sponsoring teacher: Anne Kemmerle).

In addition, ten noted Ohio writers, representing a diversity of literary styles and genres, have been engaged as featured authors—cartoonist Tom Batiuk, creator of the popular comic strip Funky Winkerbean; Sharon Draper, prize-winning writer of books for young adults; Tom Duffy, journalist and associate managing editor of Time magazine; popular mystery and historical novelist Karen Harper; Zakes Mda, South African-born playwright and novelist; poet and children’s author Marilyn Nelson; Harvey Pekar, creator of the comic book and graphic novel series American Splendor; novelist Mary Doria Russell; Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning commentator for the Cleveland Plain Dealer; and culinary writer Marilou K. Suszko.

For more information, visit: www.ohioanabookfestival.org