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Reprinted from the Wimberley [Texas] View, 14 February 2001

Awards for poetry and prose were handed out to over twenty adult and young writers at the Katherine Anne Porter School's seventh annual literary festival in Wimberley Saturday, February 10. The annual KAP Literary Festival offered talented writers the chance to win certificates, $10 cash awards and books written by the school's namesake. . . . Award winners were each given copies of her works, The Old Order, Pale Horse, Pale Rider, and the Collected Works [sic] of Katherine Anne Porter. "This is a very special day for us," said Yana Bland, director of the school. The charter school, which bears Porter's name, opened last year with thirty-six students in the Old Hill Country Emporium building on Farm-to-Market 2325. It is available as an alternative way for students to acquire a high school diploma. Its students have either dropped out of regular high school, are working while attending school, are home schooled students, or have special needs. Half the 115 students enrolled at the school are from Wimberley.

The festival usually draws between sixty and ninety-five submissions. This year the writing contest collected about seventy-five entries. "It was a good response this year," Bland said. "The quality was high this year. We aimed at what we wanted to do which was to encourage people to write." Eight of the winners are KAPS students, along with a commendation for a ninth KAPS student, and one attends Barton Junior High School. Other winners came from Dripping Springs and as far away as Austin, San Marcos, and Nashville, Tennessee. The winners who attended the ceremony were each given the opportunity to read their writing before an audience of parents and other students. Bland said the festival drew a handful of out-of-state entries because Linda Bingham, a published mystery writer and a previous KAP winner, put the information about the contest on the Internet. Dr. Jeanette Passty and David Bland judged the entries. Judges for next year's contest will be collected from this year's winners in the adult category. Naomi Shihab Nye, a poet and writer of children's books now living in San Antonio, read some of her poetry during the ceremony. She encouraged young writers to continue keeping a notebook of their work and to work at getting their poetry and fiction published. . . .

Maya Di Traglia of Wimberley, who was . . . unable to attend the awards ceremony, won first prize in the children's story and poetry division. Her mother, Priya Di Traglia, read her poem and short story, "A Helping Hand" and "Horses." The youngest writer, six-year-old Marissa Parker of Austin, took second place in the children's short story division for "Annie and the Butterflies." In the eleven to fifteen age category, Bonnie Cope of Wimberley won first prize in poetry for "Twas the Night Before Midterms." Second place went to Isela Obregon of Barton Junior High School for her poem, "Our World." Third place in poetry went to Megan Schuh of Dripping Springs for "That Moment." Megan also captured the prize for adventure fiction for "Nature's Trick." The prize for KAP Christian fiction in the eleven to fifteen age group went to Lorrie Cope of Wimberley for her story, "A Story to Tell." Kellee Watson of Wimberley won the young adult fiction prize for "College Girl."

The teenagers fifteen to eighteen year old division held the largest amount of winners. Laura Coyle of Dripping Springs won first place in short story writing for "The Transition into a Better Life." Second place for short story fiction writing went to Miranda West of Wimberley. Sarah Meeks of Wimberley won first place in poetry for "The Hunt." Second place went to Ashley Ann Allee of Canyon Lake for "What If . . ." First prize for inspirational verse went to Mahdi Martin from San Marcos. Jennifer Hancock, an eighteen-year-old KAP student living near Wimberley, won second place for inspirational verse for "The Dreamer." Maegan Berry of Wimberley took the KAP Award for poetic satire for her poem, "Siblings." Daniel Welch of Dripping Springs won first place for his autobiographical story, "My Life . . . ." The second place autobiography went to Thomas Padgett of Wimberley for "The Day My Life Changed." Lindsay Gross, an eighteen-year-old KAPS student received a commendation for her numerous poetry contributions to the festival. "I submitted every piece of poetry that I thought was acceptable," Gross said. "I wanted to win." Gross has about 100 poems in her notebook.

In the adult group, Dony Wynn of Nashville, Tennessee, received the Katherine Anne Porter Lifetime Achievement Award for work that includes social commentary and philosophy. Wynn received a special commendation for "All that Glitters." Helen Nardecchia of Georgetown received the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Festival Award for her short story, "Duches and Friends." The Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Western Fiction went to Ray Stephenson of Prescott, Arizona, for his short story, "The Welcoming Party." Ann McDaniel of Houston won the Katherine Anne Porter Commendation for Social Awareness for her work entitled, "A Thank You Letter." The Katherine Anne Porter Award for Craftsmanship went to James McKinnis of Austin for "An Afternoon at the Opera in Texas." The Katherine Anne Prize for poetry in the adult category went to Vivian Macias of Houston for her six poems. Second place for poetry went to Kate Benson of Austin.