Two Creative Writing Students Win Waukesha Reads Essay Competition

Two Arrowhead Creative Writing students took first and second places in the 2018 Waukesha Reads contest, held by the Waukesha Public Library. This contest asked community members, from elementary school students to adults, to write about a food and family memory.

The high school contest winners were Arrowhead junior Megan Resch, who took first place, and Arrowhead senior Emma Krisberg, who took second.

Students in the competition were asked by Waukesha Reads to “please share with us one short memory about a dish that is important to you or your family, and don’t forget to include the recipe.”

Students in Elizabeth Jorgensen’s Creative Writing classes worked on essays for this competition. The essay had to be shorter than 300 words, and fit on one page, including the recipe—however, a picture of the recipe was optional.

According to the Waukesha Reads contest guidelines, “The winner in each category will receive a $100 cash prize and publication on the Waukesha Reads website. A runner-up in each category will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and publication on the Waukesha Reads website.”

Jorgensen says, “This was the first year I shared this writers’ market with my students. I really enjoyed reading about my students’ family and food memories. Many of my students shared their essays with the family members they wrote about. Parents and students told me this led to awesome recollections and conversations.”

The essays were due on October 5th, 2018, and the contestants were informed they won on October 26th.

Jorgensen said many of her students submitted these pieces to Teen Ink, a national teen publication with over a half member readers. Arrowhead students including Bohdi Petersen, Olivia Glaessner, Sara Marklund, Nicole Larson, she said, received Editor’s Choice Awards.

Resch’s first place essay in the Waukesha Reads competition was titled “Campfire Pies.”

Resch said she was inspired by “camping with [her] family.”

She said, “This was my favorite piece that I have written so far for Creative Writing.”

Krisberg’s essay was titled “Raspberry Trifle.”

Resch said, “It was fun to win because I didn’t really think my writing was going anywhere, but getting the validation that my writing is going somewhere and it’s not just for fun proves that, there’s a chance [for my writing].”

Jorgensen said, “I am so pleased my students are finding success with writing. By submitting pieces to writers’ markets, they are finding a place for their voices. They are also learning how fun writing and submitting work can be. Many of my students are also realizing they have a talent. I hope this encourages my students to write more.”

Along with winning this contest, Resch says she has won three Editor’s Choice awards from Teen Ink for other pieces she wrote in Creative Writing.

According to Teen Ink, “You’ll find the Editor’s Choice award badge, next to the best work on TeenInk.com. When you see this next to the title of a work, you know it’s something special. Our team of editors reads and reviews everything that’s submitted to Teen Ink–and when they see something that really stands out, they mark it as Editor’s Choice. When your work gets an Editor’s Choice badge, you can be proud!”

“These awards speak to the quality of the work students do in Creative Writing. I am so proud of my students for their hard work,” Jorgensen says.

You can read Resch’s and Krisberg’s winning essays here: Megan Resch and Emma Krisberg.