Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest

Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest Hall of Fame

HIBBING, Minn. ─ The Dylan Days Creative Writing Contest has grown from a small, predominantly local event with a few dozen entries to one with international appeal and hundreds of annual entrants. At the same time, we never forget our roots as an Iron Range organization encouraging local writers.

Past featured speakers:

2009: Stephen Heine, "Bargainin' for Salvation: Bob Dylan, a Zen Master"
          Thomas Swiss and Colleen Sheehy, eds., "Highway 61 Revisited: Bob Dylan's Road from Minnesota to the World."
          Cathy Wurzer, "Tales from the Road: Highway 61"
          Aaron Brown, "Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range"

2008: Toby Thompson, author of "Positively Main Street"
2007: Barton Sutter, poet laureate of Duluth and Minnesota Book Award winning essayist and poet
2006: William Meissner, St. Cloud, Minn.,-based author and poet who writes of life, baseball and Bob Dylan
2005: Natalie Goldberg, national bestselling author and renowned creative writing instructor

2009

OPEN FICTION
1) "Finnegan at the Pioneer Graveyard" by Kate Baggott of Dreieich, Hesse, Germany
2) "Catharsis" by Phil Fitzpatrick; Duluth, MN
3) "Christmas Tuba Festival" by Deborah Finkelstein; Santa Fe, NM

Honorable Mention:
"Sneaking Jaguar Cracks the Code" by R. Gatwood; Reston, VA
"Dreams of Disappearing" by Renee Holland Davidson; Brea, CA
"Painting Walls" by Dan Morra; Middletown, PA
"Rulers and Pens" by Lydia Suarez; Verona, NJ
"Nadine’s House" by Brenda Peloquin; Virginia, MN

STUDENT FICTION

1) "Jakarta" by Shalene Gupta; Eden Prairie, MN (Johns Hopkins University)
2) "Charcoal" by Cyril C. Wood; Rome, IN (DePauw University)
3 "Nosegay" by Brittany Newell; Belvedere, CA (Redwood High School)

Honorable Mentions:
"A Child on Fire" by Amanda Goldchain; Woodbridge, VA (Woodbridge Senior High School)
"The Whole Deal" by Nick Harris; Edmonds, WA (Seattle University)
"A Pocketful of Jazz" by Stacey Shapiro; Woodbridge, VA (Woodbridge Senior High School)

OPEN POETRY

1) "Positive" by John Vanek of St. Petersburg, FL
2) "Name Calling" Deborah Ventura of Ventura, CA
3) "Ivy in Winter" by Ann Malaspina of Ridgewood, NJ

Honorable Mentions:
"Cigarette Girl" by Gary Winters; El Cajon, CA
"Transcendental Transpiration" by Jenn Mercer; Raleigh, NC
"Someone Else" by Sean Joyce; Christchurch, New Zealand
"Prima Donna" by Alexander Roussel; Lafayette, LA

STUDENT POETRY
1) "To the Old Farmhouse" by Brenna Daugherty; Santa Rosa, CA (Santa Rosa H.S.)
2) "Silence" by Mary Kate Stinn; Milwaukee, WI (Marquette University)
3) "I Want a Broken Arm Wrapped in a Blue Cast" by Krista Oehlke; Plano, TX (Greenhill School)

Honorable Mentions:
"I am From" by Katrina Walker; Woodbridge, VA (Woodbridge Senior High School)
"Mother Teresa’s Botox" by Claire Parson; Reynoldsburg, OH (Otterbein College)
"Love Poem for Manchester, TN" by Stacey Balkun; Piscataway, NJ (Rutgers)

ONE ACT PLAYS
Semi-Finalists:
               - “American Blues” by Evan Guilford-Blake of Stone Mountain, Georgia
               - “Little Moscow” by Aleks Merilo of Palo Alto, California
               - “Terminal Condition” by David Robinson of Athens, Ohio
               - “Scarecrow” by Kevin Lottes of Westerville, Ohio
The winning entry: “Blur in the Rear View” by Aleks Merilo of Palo Alto, California

2008

OPEN FICTION:

1) "Glued Sawdust" by Kevin Lottes of Westerville, Ohio

2) "Day Shift" by Craig Planting of Minneapolis, Minn.

3) "Toilet Tornado" by Lindsy O'Brien of Cloquet, Minn.

Semi-Finalists

"Why Have the Jellyfish Lived So Long?" by Sara Oliver Gordus of Somerville, Mass.
"Hardware Store Santa" by Steve Fetzik of Cambridge, Minn.
"Life with the Balfours" by Marcia Sinclair of Chicago, Ill.

STUDENT FICTION:

1) "Superior" by Jeffrey Carr of Logan, Utah (Utah State University)

2) "Leaning" by Elizabeth Reinhard of New York, N.Y. (Duke University)

3) "Tia Cruzita" by Krista Oehlke of Plano, Texas (Greenhill School)

Semi-Finalists

"A Mushroom Cloud of Great Writers" by Nick Swartz of Kalamazoo, Mich. (Western Michigan University)
"La Femme Dans La Jardin" by Carl Anthony of Baltimore, Md. (Loyola College)

OPEN POETRY

1) "When it Rains" by Sandra Newbauer of Mankato, Minn.

2) "At Some Distance" by Philip Fitzpatrick of Duluth, Minn.

3) "Hush, the Girls are Writing" by Andrew Periale of Strafford, N.H.

Semi-Finalists

"Bailadores Fieles/Faithful Dancers" by Heather J. Kirk of Scottsdale, Ariz.
"she collects" by Michele Laroche of Berkeley Height, N.J.
"Winter Matins" by Kristine McGovern of Centennial, Colo.
"Lighthouse" by Christian Ward of London, England
"Not Forgotten" by Sheila Packa of Duluth, Minn.
"Vigil" by Pamela Tarlow-Calder of Surrey, British Columbia

STUDENT POETRY WINNERS

1) "Goodnight, Beet Dreams" by Claire Parson of Reynoldsburg, Ohio (Otterbein College of Westerville, Ohio)

2) "Friday Night Vigils" by Carl Anthony of Baltimore, Md. (Loyola College)

3) "Waiting" by Kelly Carrubba of Woodbridge, Va. (Woodbridge Senior High School)

Semi-Finalists:

"Luna" by Alyssa Starrantino of Baldwinsville, N.Y. (Baker High School)
"Suspension" by Krista Oehlke of Plano, Texas (Greenhill School)
"Spray Paint and Stones" by Kiarra Smith of St. Louis, Mo. (Orchard Farm High School)
"Gracie" by Kathryn Greenly of Allenstown, N.H. (Pembroke Academy)
"Apocalypse" by Emily Stokes of Carlisle, Penn. (Dickinson College)

ONE ACT PLAYWRIGHTS

Grand Prize) "Lessons and Carols" by Demetra Kareman of Brooklyn, N.Y.

Finalists)

"No Surrender" by Isabella C. Rae of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
"Blur in the Rear View" by Aleks Merilo of Los Angeles, Calif.
"The Strange Case of Grippo the Ape Man" by Trav S.D. of Brooklyn, N.Y.
"Tio's Blues" by Evan Guilford-Blake of Stone Mountain, Ga.
"Spider Bites" by Jacqueline Wright of Los Angeles, Calif.

2007

General Division Short Fiction:

1st Place: “Confessions of a Bookmobile Clerk” by Jordon Turner of Bloomington, Ind.

2nd Place: “First Fruits” by Phyllis Ring of Exeter, N.H..

3rd Place: “The Good Shephard” by Brenda Peloquin of Mt. Iron, Minn.

Honorable Mentions

            “El Gringo” by Jens Porup of Cali, Colombia
            “They Call Me Austin” by Davina Kotulski of Oakland, Calif.
            "Sheila the Sublime” by L.J. Reed of Port Aransas, Texas
            “How Monk Johnson Found Redemption at Churchill Downs” by Jim McGarrah of Evansville, Ind.
            “Audition” by R.F. Marazas of Belvidere, N.J.
            "Slim” by Craig Planting of Minneapolis, Minn.

General Division Poetry:

1st Place: “Rewind” by Shaindel Beers of Pendleton, Ore.

2nd Place: “Dylan Gumbo” by Robert Warrington of Tipton, West Midlands, England.

3rd Place: “My Father’s Planes” by SuzAnne C. Cole of New Braunfels, Texas.

       Honorable Mentions

            “Remembering” by Justin Stoekel of Georgetown, Del.
            “(I haven't told anybody this, but I really love raspberry picking)” by Tanya Miller of Park Rapids, Minn.
            “For Joey” by Elizabeth Thomas of Columbia, Conn.
            “Wintering” by Michelle Lerner of Flanders, N.J.
            “Hamburg, Iowa 1933” by KB Ballentine of Dayton, Tenn.
            “To a Daughter Leaving Home (for Carmen)” by Timothy Chisholm of Oceanside, Calif.
            “My Father” by Jerard Bretts of Bucks,

England

Student Division Short Fiction:

1st Place: “Upward Infinitum” by Alex Kalamaroff of Rochester, N.Y.

2nd Place: “Shakespearizzle” by Alison Scheevel of Preston, Minn.

3rd Place: “For Grandma” by Angela Johnson of Duluth, Minn.

Honorable Mentions

            “Up Pour” by Henry Bell of Bristol, England
            “God's World” by Yael Green
            “A Real Fairy Tale” by Amelia Fetherolf of Califon, N.J.
            “The Good in Everyone” by Lauren Moore
            “To the Girl Applying Makeup” by Chris Koester of Carbondale, Ill.

Student Division Poetry:

1st Place: “Death Pops a Wheelie” by Diana Chein of Holmdel, N.J.

2nd Place: “Sestina” and “Morning in Blue” by Olivia Cole of Louisville, Ky.

3rd Place: “Spring” by Ben Hamborg of Duluth, Minn.

2006

General Division Short Fiction:
1^st Place: “The Invasion” by Brenda Peloquin of Mt. Iron, Minn.
2^nd Place: “The Wheel of Fortuna” by Lucia Howe of Pensacola, Fla.
3^rd Place: “Winter” by Ed Fritsch of Grand Rapids, Minn.

General Division Poetry:
1^st Place: “She Runs” by Kitty Dyer of Dodge City, Kan.
2^nd Place: “Old Plow” by Rob Ganson of Washburn, Wis.
3^rd Place: “Listen to the Moon” by Patrice Powell of Hibbing, Minn.

Student Division Short Fiction:
1^st Place: “In the Meantime” by Jessica Maher of Saranac Lake, N.Y.
2^nd Place: “Myth of Fish: The Story of Ugh” by Zachary Jacobson of Harris, Minn.
3^rd Place: “Three Motivators” by Neil Sandhoefner of Omaha, Neb.

Student Division Poetry:
1^st Place: “Ain’t Just a River” by Maren Hagman of Grand Rapids, Minn.
2^nd Place: “Arbor Amata” by Kyle Bianconi of Hibbing, Minn.
3^rd Place: “31 Killed” by Ben Hamborg of Duluth, Minn.

2005

POETRY – General Division

First Place:“I Like to Go Where the Old People Eat”/ “Lunchtime at the Hawkridge Cafe with Earl.”
By Laura Martin Vouk of Isanti, Minnesota

Second Place: “Oak”
By Erskine Carter of Rock Island, Illinois

Third Place: “Diagnosis”
By Astrid Slungaard of Minneapolis

FICTION – General Division

First Place: “City Sharks”
By Scott Kuzma of Hibbing, Minnesota

Second Place: “The Wrong Blue”
By Nicholas Ozment of Winona, Minnesota

Third Place: “Chocolate Cherries”
By Brenda Peloquin of Mt. Iron, Minn.

POETRY – Student Division (college and high school)

First Place: “Black and White Photo"/ "Deserted”
By Molly Godfrey of Minneapolis, Minnesota

Second Place: “Our Library Burnt Down”
By Nicole Hendrickson of Virginia, Minnesota

Third Place: “Daysend Epitaph”
By Sara Packa of Hibbing, Minnesota

FICTION – Student Division (college and high school)

First Place: “The Adventure of Phineas Harrington”
By Nickolas Butler of Hibbing, Minnesota

Second Place: “How Was the Ravioli?”
By Kelly Matye of Turtle Lake, Wisconsin

Third Place: “A Line in the Sand”
By David Henke of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

2004

FICTION -- General Division

First Place: "Fragile Blossoms" by David Moffatt of Eveleth, Minn.
Second Place: "Small Engine Repair" by Erik Halom of Superior, Wis.
Third Place: "Chocolate Eyes" by Rita Jelle of Golden Valley, Minn.

POETRY -- General Division

First Place: "Devil in the Details" by Candace Simar of Pequot Lakes, Minn.
Second Place: "The Transformation" by Alyssa Brown of Grand Marais, Minn.
Third Place: "Tambourine Days" by Katherine Murphy of Clifton Park, N.Y.

FICTION -- Student Division

First Place: "Within Our Limbs" by Toni Roiger-Taray of Andover, Minn.
Second Place: "Just Her Luck" by Brenda Peloquin of Mt. Iron, Minn.
Third Place: "Saturday" by Pete Rognli of Bemidji, Minn.

POETRY -- Student Division

First Place: "Zero Degrees" by Dale Shaw of Puposky, Minn.
Second Place: "The Rite Wae to Spel" by Joanna Rosenlund of Hibbing, Minn.
Third Place: "Covalent Coitus Manage Without End" by John Kreuz of Chisholm, Minn.

2003

Open Division

Poetry

First Prize:   Paige Lee McCoy – Bemidji, Minn.

               "Who Are You" etc.

Second Prize:  Greig Dahlke – Bagley, Minn.

"April 23rd"

Third Prize:   Holly Hedeen – Bemidji, Minn.

               "Tomorrow's Dawn"

Fiction

First Prize:   Pete Rognli – Bemidji, Minn.

               "Heartbreaker From Canton, NY"

Second Prize:  Chris Luukkonen – Hibbing, Minn.

               "Withered"

Third Prize:   Lindsey Larson – Princeton, Minn.

               Bread and Advice"

Hibbing Community College Division

Poetry

First Prize:   Karen Goins - Hibbing, Minn.

               "The Fawn"

Second Prize:  Skye McGinn - Hibbing, Minn.

               "Say it in Time"

Third Prize:   Ben Kampf - Nashwauk, Minn.

               "Live Trap"

Fiction

First Prize:   Michael Mathews – Hibbing, Minn.

               "Musical Preference"

Dylan Days is an annual event and an association dedicated to advancing the arts in Bob Dylan's hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota. All content copyright by Aaron J. Brown.