The Department of English and Foreign Languages at Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, will host its annual Youth Writing Festival on Saturday, March 10.
The festival, held every spring, has grown from 345 entries in 1995 to almost 800 entries in 2006. Students from schools across south Arkansas submit poems, short stories, and essays, which are then judged good, superior, or excellent. Three of the entries judged excellent are chosen in each category and grade level to receive special recognition. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place winners and a trophy for the first place winners.
The annual festival developed from a summer writing class for public school teachers taught by Dr. Kathleen Mallory, associate professor of English at SAU. The event is co-sponsored by the Gerald F. and Betty Fincher Scott Academic Endowment, made available through the generosity of Harold and D. J. Fincher and the Peoples Bank of Magnolia and Waldo.
On the day of the festival, after a welcoming address, students will separate into grade levels and model writing workshops will be held, followed by peer reading sessions. The day ends with the awards ceremony.
Deadline for entries is Feb. 19. Entry forms may be requested by calling David Wingfield in the Department of English and Foreign Languages, 870-235-4202, or email dlwingfield@saumag.edu. Entries may also be printed at http://www.saumag.edu/efldept/, and then clicking on Youth Writing Festival 2007.
