Edward River Library and Deniliquin High School have celebrated the achievements of young writers, announcing the winners of this year’s youth writing initiative.
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The program gave students the opportunity to take part in dedicated writing workshops held at Edward River Library earlier this term.
Library coordinator Christine Evola said the success of the program came down to community involvement.
“Everyone involved really made this a success - starting with collaboration with the high school, and then having the community get onboard donating the prizes - sponsored by Deni Newsagency and Bookstore and Grass Roots Finance,” she said.
“It worked out really well.”
DHS English head teacher Krista Ladson said the workshops provided students with valuable time to focus solely on writing.
“The workshops at the library focused exclusively on writing, as opposed to the 50 minutes they get in class,” she said.
Winner of the Year 7-8 competition was Frida Gallpen‑Brown for her story ‘Finally Heard’, and Nina Glowrey’s ‘Songs Between the Shelves, Symphonies Between the Stories’ was the winner of the Year 9-10 section.
Runners‑up in the younger age group were Macey Cathcart and Grace Kelly, while Brittany Jane De Travers was runner-up in the Year 9-10 section.
The writing competition forms part of Edward River Council’s Book Week celebrations, which will also include the Book Week Fun Day at the library on August 28.
The free event will feature a range of family-friendly activities, including scavenger hunts, crafts, games, pavement art and a complimentary Rotary barbecue.
Children are encouraged to dress up in costume and take part in an afternoon focused on reading, imagination and creativity.
A highlight of the event will be the announcement of winners in the Library’s Collage Poetry Competition, which invites students from Kindergarten to Year 12 to create poems using cut-out words and images.
More details on the fun day will be included in print next week.
Excerpts from Frida and Nina’s winning stories have been provided below:
Finally Heard
By Frida Gallpen-Brown
Mika
Sometimes I wish
That I didn't hide up the back of the classroom,
In the corner.
Sometimes I wish
I would put my hand up when I knew the answer.
Sometimes I wish
That I was enough to make a difference,
That I was enough to change the world.
And sometimes when I am lying awake at night
I wish that I had a friend.
Not that I need a friend or anything,
No that I am interesting enough for a friend.
But still.
Lying in the dark that is what I sometimes wish for.
And to be like Rosie
Who stands at the front now
And it is clear that one day she will change the world.
Sometimes I wish that I could be friends with Rosie,
That we could change the world together.
But obviously Rosie doesn't need any help to change the world,
Definitely doesn't need my help,
Even though people are laughing at her
She looks like she doesn't care.
She looks passionate, determined and powerful.
Not like a rose,
More like a thorn.
Rosie finishes and I want to
Clap
Cheer
and tell her it was amazing.
But no one else does,
So I don't.
The bell goes.
Songs Between the Shelves, Symphonies Between the Stories
By Nina Glowrey
Sunlight drowned the room through the colourful patterns, scattering a patchy pastel design in the same way as a river that reaches far and wide with many twists and turns. The room was bare except for the pedestal that sat in the middle with a singular book on it. The front cover was made with midnight blue leather. The pages so thin Lucy was afraid to touch it.
“This,” Mr Sully said. “This is the Book of Whispers. It’s the library’s heartbeat.”
Lucy stepped forward hesitantly, treading lightly. “What does it do?” She breathed slowly, like a candle flame swaying in a windless room.
Mr Sully's voice softened, drifting into something like a lullaby, like a song sung by someone who has forgotten the lyrics.
“It listens, and sometimes,” he paused. “It answers.”
A whisper cried out from beneath the pages, faint.
Silent, curious, Lucy froze.
The sound wasn't words, not yet. It was like a secret before it chose its shape. Before the consequence of a bad decision or the reward before a good one. Was this fate or destiny? Was this pre-determined?
Mr Sully stepped back, “Be careful now,” he said. “Once it hears your voice, it may want to hear more.”
The whisper thickened, grabbing Lucy's ankles like mist pulling her closer to the pedestal.
She had felt it before.
She had heard it.
It was familiar.