The Peru Gazette

August 10, 2023 – Adirondack Center for Writing and Adirondack Voters for Change are proud and excited to present the nine winners of this past spring’s “My Dreams for My Community” Essays Contest at a celebratory event and reading at Adirondack Center for Writing (15 Broadway, Saranac Lake) on Monday, August 28th at 7 PM.

The first, second, and third-place winners and several honorable mentions will receive their cash awards from Adirondack Voters for Change and then recite their short essays aloud for the audience. Light refreshments will be provided. The event is free and open to the public

The contest was presented in two categories: Youth (Ages 13 – 18) and Young Adult (Ages 19 – 25), and was open to any person in those age groups living in the North Country. The winners of the contest are:

Jacob Andre (Peru) – 1st place, Young Adult – $400 prize
Lee Ames (Canton) – 2nd place, Young Adult – $200 prize
Adalynne Perryman (Lake Placid) – Hon Mention, Young Adult – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Emma Anand (Warrensburg) – 1st place, Youth – $400
Kaidence Spooner (Keeseville) – 2nd place, Youth – $200
Evan Beech (Westport) – 3rd place, Youth – $100
Rebecca Cook-Chevier (Brushton) – Hon. Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Thea Kennedy (Bolton Landing) – Honorable Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card
Delphine Mann (Troy) – Honorable Mention, Youth – $25 Stewart’s Gift Card

Andre (1st place, Young Adult) and Ames (2nd place, Young Adult) will not be present at the reading but will read their pieces over video for the audience. The rest of the above winners will be in attendance and read their short essays. The judges of the contest will also be in attendance at the event. The contest judges were: writer and professor Shir Filler of North Country Community College, author and reporter Tim Rowland of Adirondack Explorer, author and reporter Adam Federman, author and editor Andy Flynn of Lake Placid News, teacher Joy McCabe, and author Ed Kanze.

This contest aims to amplify the voices and concerns of young people living in the North Country region. The essay guidelines directed writers to “Define your community; say what you are about; and offer ideas for change”. To support writers as they draft their essays, ACW provided guiding questions such as, “What concerns does your community have?” “What would you and your community like to see changed about politics or culture?”, “If you could run things, how would you do it differently?” and “When you dream of the world you want, what do you see?” Answering each of these questions was not a requirement; the prompts were simply meant to get writers thinking about a subject, a perspective, and a central argument.

To learn more about this event and the contest it is celebrating, contact Tyler Barton at Adirondack Center for Writing – info@adirondackcenterforwriting.org / 717-332-8137