Sarah Diane Sadowsky, recipient of the 2007 Green Wyrick Creative Writing Scholarship for Poetry:
An excerpt from Sadowsky's winning work:
THE JOURNEY
i.
Sitting at the back of the plane
she sees all the people. The man
to her left sleeps like many passengers.
He has traveled the world
seen Paris, Florence, London,
Dublin, Rome, Madrid.
Now he goes home,
a sleeping family oblivious to his comings,
his goings,
it is his job.
The girl stares out the window;
visiting the old home
where she aged, learned to walk-
sing, read, sew, dance-
the place she left
abandoning her dreams
for those of her father.
The woman in front of me fingers a rosary,
leaving her family to care
for a sickly aunt. Somewhere,
an eight-year-old is being tucked in
by someone other than her mother
The boy across the aisle reads a letter,
going off on his own
leaving his family
for his own dreams,
determination carrying beyond his sacrifice. ...
Matthew Watt, recipient of the 2007 Green Wyrick Creative Writing Scholarship for Fiction:
An excerpt from Watt's winning work:
THE CALM OF NIGHT
Fall’s leaves had come and gone all that remained were stripped-bare branches, swaying and returning in time with the light breeze. The landscape was frozen and brown and gray. Even the house on the hill in the distance was dark. The prairie lay dead silent as the night took over. The two men stood above the animal.
“Well shit,” said Harold. “So much for a day off.” He produced a metal flask from his coat pocket, undid its top, and took several deep swallows.
“This should only take an hour, tops,” said Mitch, “and then you can go home and drink and enjoy your night.”
“Maybe,” said Harold. He took another drink. The men stood in silence as the night’s winter air bit through their coats.
“Ground’s too froze to dig a hole, so I guess we’ll have to drag her off?” Mitch asked hesitantly.
“Guess so. You go get the log chain while I wait here.” ...
Last Updated December 10, 2007