Local students recognized for fiction writing

PROVIDENCE – With stiff competition from more than 150 story submissions from students in grades 7-12 across the state, School One and Goat Hill announced the winning entries of Rhode Island’s only short fiction writing competition for students.

One of the winners from the Blackstone Valley is Dominique DiSprito, a student at Woonsocket High

School. Her story, “A Retrace of Steps,” received a Notable Mention in the Write Rhode Island short fiction competition. It will receive an award and will be published alongside the other winners of Write Rhode Island.

Write Rhode Island is a short fiction writing competition for Rhode Island students presented by School One and Goat Hill. The goal of Write Rhode Island is to promote and celebrate the works of students by incorporating Rhode Island as a theme in a creative piece of prose. This past fall, Write Rhode Island sponsored free creative writing workshops for teens at public libraries and schools across the state and worked closely with Riverzedge Arts to reach students in Woonsocket.

Dominique cited her her teacher, Mrs. Capitumini, the school’s Expanded Learning Program, and the Creative Writing Club as instrumental in helping prepare for the competition. Of the more than 150 competition entries from across the Ocean State, more than 90 percent of students cited teachers and librarians as their introduction to Write Rhode Island.

Diego Cante, a Pawtucket resident and student at St Pat- rick Academy, also received a notable mention for his story “Give Me the Directions!” He will be published in the anthology as well.

Diana DeCesaris Champa, director of literary engagement at School One, is also the competition’s coordinator.

“It’s very exciting to provide an audience and a way to connect with writing outside the classroom,” said Champa. “The opportunity to be published can be inspiring, and it gives students another reason to work at rewriting, editing and polishing their work. Last year, teachers reached out to thank us for providing this type of writing opportunity outside the classroom for students. This year we received more than 150 submissions and we’re thrilled.”

The winning entries were selected by Goat Hill writers: Ann Hood, Hester Kaplan and Taylor Polites, and winners of the Write Rhode Island short story competition will be honored at a special awards ceremony at the Newport Art Museum on March 18, 2018.

Write Rhode Island has been made possible thanks to support from BankRI, Pawtucket Credit Union, the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, Rhode Island Department of Education, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Stenhouse Consulting, and teachers, librarians, and educators from around the state.

Complete List of Winners

Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun, Sam Read, Barrington High School Dream Pool, Rebecca Smith, Montessori Pathways