{"id":117746,"date":"2020-05-08T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T23:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=117746"},"modified":"2020-08-07T12:55:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T22:55:54","slug":"manoa-creative-writing-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/08\/manoa-creative-writing-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Students win creative writing contest awards"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Department of English<\/a> recognized creative writing students with awards and scholarships.<\/p>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graduate student Micah Lau<\/strong>\u2019s poem “Free Skate” is based on Olympic figure skaters Yuna Kim—an international sensation—and a lesser-known Canadian pairs team Jessica Dub\u00e9 and Bryce Davison.<\/p>\n

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Micah Lau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Focalized through a narrator who visits Bucheon, South Korea, where both Kim Yuna and the narrator’s host were born, the poem explores what it means to submit oneself to elegance and danger, with or without a partner,” Lau said.<\/p>\n

Lau won The Academy of American Poets Prize, which recognizes the best poem on any subject. He won $100 and a one-year Academy of American Poets membership.<\/p>\n

“I was surprised,” Lau said. “The poem was written a while ago, and I decided to submit it to the contest at the last minute. Though I\u2019ve been focusing on writing fiction in the graduate program, I\u2019ll definitely return to poetry when it feels right.”<\/p>\n

One judge wrote “Competitive figure skating is the initial conceit that defines the tension between performance, intimacy and pain. Readers are roped into the question: ‘what heart does not want, in some sinister way, to leave marks on the other?’ The poet of ‘Free Skate’ held me most as a reader, thinker and writer.”<\/p>\n

The Patsy Sumie Saiki Award<\/h2>\n

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Briana Uu<\/strong> took first place for The Patsy Sumie Saiki Award and a $1,000 prize. The award recognizes the best short story that reflects the history, cultures or traditions of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. Uu\u2019s winning piece is “Old Spider Man.”<\/p>\n

“With lyrical clarity, well-placed humor and detailed metaphors, ‘Old Spider Man’ is a delightful coming-of-age story about three brothers who navigate place, boyhood and community amidst fear, shame and imagination,” one of the judges commented.<\/p>\n

Second place and $250 went to UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Ashley Insong<\/strong> for “A Spoonful of Home,” and third place and $100 went to UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s Alexander Coley<\/strong> for “The Haole Who Never Knew Fear (And Then Got Scared at a Farmers’ Market).”<\/p>\n

The Stephen C. & William H. Stryker Award for Fiction<\/h2>\n

The winner of The Stephen C. & William H. Stryker Award for Fiction and $500 is UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graduate student Christina Lee for “A Lesson in Grief.” The award recognizes the best short story on any subject.<\/p>\n

“I was very encouraged about the amount and quality of the submissions we received during the pandemic,” said Craig Santos Perez<\/strong>, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa associate professor and interim creative writing director. “It showed me the resiliency and ongoing passion for writing.”<\/p>\n

Other awards presented:<\/p>\n

Myrle Clark Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n