AUBURN â With just a few weeks until actors were set to take to the stage in performances of âThe Best Christmas Pageant Everâ last December, Excelsior Arts Academy and Youth Theater Executive Director Kent Johnson was forced to cancel the show.
Cases of COVID-19 were on the rise, and while the First Christian Church in Auburn was the perfect setting to tell the Christmas story, there was not the room needed for the cast to socially distance backstage, Johnson explained.
âThis was one of the most difficult decisions I ever had to make. As you might guess, many people were disappointed due to the amount of work that had already occurred,â Johnson said.
AUBURN â The Auburn Arts Commission has announced the winners of the 2021 Snowbound Writersâ Contest.
In the prose category, winners are: first place, âAshesâ by Eric Peeper of Garrett; second place, âChillâ by Matt Lennon of Auburn; and third place, âHe is Always with Meâ by Diana Wilhelm of Butler.
In the poetry category, winners are: first place, âSleep Wake,â âDiamonds,â and âSpring Bodiesâ by Cassandra Baliga of Waterloo; second place, âThe Clear Pane of Itâ by Matt Lennon of Auburn; and third place, âThe Thing Isâ by Karen Rieke of Auburn.
Winners will receive their awards later at a small reception where they will be invited to read their entries. At that time, winners, participants who did not win, and anyone interested in writing will be invited to attend to hear author, playwright and creative writing teacher Ruth Tyndall Baker of Fort Wayne discuss the process of creative writing,
AUBURN â The Auburn Arts Commission has announced changes to its 2021 Snowbound Writersâ Contest due to COVID-19.
Entries will be accepted through Feb. 28 and should be mailed to Snowbound Writersâ Contest, 410 Hawthorne Place, Auburn, IN 46706.
The contest is open to anyone who 18 years or older who resides or is employed in DeKalb County.
Judges will award three prizes for short stories and three for poetry. First place winners will receive $150; second place will receive $75; and third place will receive $50. There will be no award for honorable mentions. Prize money will be mailed to winners if a reception is not possible.
Short stories must not exceed 2,000 words. Poems are limited to 20 lines or less. Entrants may enter both categories, but may submit no more than three poems and one short story. A first-place winner may not enter the same category for a period of two years, but may submit in another category.