Writing contest for local teens accepting entries

The Washington-Centerville library’s “Dottie Yeck Good Life Award” writing contest recently opened for submissions, through Oct. 9.

The Dottie Yeck Endowments fund the award for the essay contest for teens in grades 7-9, who live or attend school in Montgomery County.

The first place prize for the contest winner is $3000; smaller prizes are awarded to those placing second through fourth place.

Yeck served as a member of the Washington-Center ville Public Library Board of Trustees for 28 years. The contest in her name encourages Montgomery County teens to write a 300-to 500-word essa y about their plan for living a life that follows her “formula for living,” as shared on the library system’s website: “Being Good + Doing Good = Having Fun + Being Happy.”

The library’ swe bsite offers this year’s writing prompt for the award, and details about eligibility, how to enter, and judging. V is itwww.wc library. info/ gla for more information.

I recent ly asked Debe Dockins, who coordinates the contest and serves as the library system’s community outreach and development coordinator, to share some of her insights into the award:

Q. Beyond the financial prizes, why is this award important for young writers to enter? What might they gain from the experience of writing the essay in order to enter the contest?

A. The Dottie Yeck Good Life Writing Contest encourages kids to think about their lives and behaviors beyond the day-to-day, to practice introspection, and be accountable for their actions. Simply entering the contest gives them away to express their ideal sin away that can, ultimately, be inspiring to others.

Q. Why is this contest important to the community as a whole?

A. As a community, it’s affirming to hear and witness the ways that these young people, whose struggles are real and often discounted because they’re ‘kids,’ have managed to persevere and thrive where others may have given up. I think it’s reassuring to kn ow the future ’sing ood hands.

Ohio Playwrights Circle offering classes at Human Race Theatre

Interested in learning how to write a play? The Ohio Playwrights Circle is offering a new slate of classe sth i sfa ll for all levels, novice-through-experienced, this fall. The classes, hosted by the Human Race Theatre, will take place at the Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center, 116 N. Jefferson St.

Participants need not have completed work to take the classes. The classes, per a press release from the Ohio Playwrights Circle, are “designed to take the mystery out of playwrighting. The method of building a play is explored through a variet y of exercises… Each playwright will have a goal of completing work that will be presented in a public reading.

Playwrights will have the opportunity to hear their work read aloud by actors and prepared by directors. The class is designed for novices and experienced playwrights, actors and directors alike.”

The class schedule is Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct .9,13, 20, 27 , No v.3 and 17, and Dec. 1 and 2.

A public reading will be offered at the end of the course.