Barrett Creative Writing Contest announces winners

Nearly 20-25 HFC students and faculty members attended the 51st annual Francis G. Barrett Creative Writing Contest with the Larry Colter Poetry Prize and Grunow Writer’s Prize on April 17, where six HFC students were recognized for their award-winning work and will earn cash awards.

The Barrett winners are:

• 1st Place: Ayah Kareem Naimi
• 2nd Place: Briana Dobson
• 3rd Place: Alex Gray
• 4th Place: Hasenaat Shamel
• 5th Place: Sara Skora

A celebration of student writers

• Gray also won the Colter Poetry Prize
• Regina Mareglia won the Grunow Writer’s Prize in Community-Engaged Writing

“It is a genuine pleasure to gather today in celebration of our student writers – students who have taken the time not only to observe the world, but to shape it into language that carries imagination and risk. Writing is often a quiet act, done in isolation, revised in uncertainty, and often shared only with reluctance. Today is about making that labor visible. It is about honoring the voices in this room that have moved us, surprised us, and made us think differently about what language can do,” said HFC English instructor and Barrett coordinator Dr. Sommer Sterud.

Regina Mareglia wins inaugural Grunow Writer’s Prize

The Barrett Creative Writing Contest, which HFC holds annually, honors the memory of the English Department's first department chairperson, Frances G. Barrett. What makes this year’s awards ceremony even more special is it’s the first year that the Grunow Prize has been awarded.

The Grunow Prize is the namesake of retired HFC English instructor and long-time community activist Geraldine Grunow. HFC English instructors Dr. Chelsea Lonsdale and Dr. Peter Kim initiated this award in Grunow’s honor.

“Anyone who knows Geraldine knows this is a well-deserved and likely overdue honor,” said Sterud.

Grunow recalled the time she first learned of this.

“When I heard from Chelsea about naming this prize, I felt very undeserving, but delighted,” said Grunow. “I admire Chelsea greatly for establishing the award and thereby drawing attention to the need to promote community-engaged writing. If there was ever a time to support life-saving writing that encourages community engagement and persuasive lobbying, now is that time!”

Grunow, who retired in 2017, attended the ceremony with her husband, Ken.

“It was a great pleasure to be with my English colleagues and to admire their eloquent, passionate introductions to their students' works. Wouldn't they all make wonderful literary agents for their students? The writing of this year's cohort of prize-winning students was thought-provoking and engaging; I'm looking forward to reading it again in Looking Glass,” said Grunow.

Mareglia’s article, “No Kings, and No Common Cause: The Movement Claiming to Fight Against Oligarchy Has Yet to Decide What It Wants Instead,” was initially published in The Mirror News, HFC’s award-winning student-run newspaper. With the support of Kim, Mareglia entered it for the Grunow Prize.

“Meeting Professor Grunow was a delight,” said Mareglia. “Her warmth, generosity and sincerity were immediately felt. Receiving an award in her honor has been one of the highlights of my time at HFC. It is an excellent reminder that dedication to craft and to people is one of the clearest paths to well-being. I hope to one day leave a legacy as a writer, a teacher, and a force for good in the world as robust and shining as Professor Grunow.”

Grunow was happy that Mareglia became the first recipient of the award named for her.

“I want to offer my special congratulations to Regina Mareglia for all the fine, beautifully documented Mirror News articles she's written about such important topics,” said Grunow. “Her article on the second No Kings rally was timely and nicely critical of its multi-pronged defense of this country’s rule of law. I'll be very interested in her article on the third rally; I hope she finds it more unified in its demands than the previous ones! I enjoyed meeting Regina and reading her other articles in The Mirror News. I look forward to reading her work in other publications after she graduates from HFC.”

“Sharing my work with an engaged audience was an incredible experience”

It is a tradition for every Barrett ceremony to begin with the reading of a poem. Sterud read Mary Oliver’s poem called “The Summer Day”.

Each winner was introduced by an English faculty member. Several of the winners read from their winning entries.

Dobson, a pre-engineering student who already earned an associate degree in liberal arts from HFC, attended the ceremony with her mother and two younger brothers. She read her short story, “Chain Reaction.”

“The biggest win for me was not just the prize itself but being allowed to showcase something that I treasure personally,” said Dobson. My story, ‘Chain Reaction,’ was inspired by the idea of how small events or decisions can lead to life-altering events that no one could have seen coming. I also wanted to explore the tension between free will and inevitability. How one moment can quietly shape everything that follows, often without us realizing it.”

She added: “Being part of the Barrett ceremony and sharing my work with an engaged audience was an incredible experience. Seeing people react in real time through small whispers, reflecting, and connecting with the story was as meaningful as the award itself.”

Kim was impressed with this year’s display of talent.

“This year’s Barrett Awards was truly special, having Geraldine and Ken present to meet the winner of the inaugural Grunow Prize,” said Kim. “Every year, I am so impressed with the students who read from their manuscripts. Ayah’s heart-wrenching story, Briana’s through-provoking piece, Alex’s truly original poems, and Regina’s insightful commentary were amazing to behold. Congratulations to all the winners!"