Artists of Promise Literary Selections for 2022-2023

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FICTION

First Place

  • Constantine Cotton
  • Glendale Community College
  • “The Long Walk”

Second Place

  • Kevin Flanagan
  • Phoenix College
  • “Diane Remained”

Third Place

  • Terri Boaz
  • Scottsdale Community College
  • “In the Mirror”

POETRY

First Place

  • Ella Sexton
  • Paradise Valley Community College
  • “Downsizing”

Second Place

  • Persephone Pilibossian
  • Rio Salado College
  • “Border Clash”

Third Place

  • Kira Caspers
  • Scottsdale Community College
  • “the host”

ESSAY

First Place

  • Alex Dodt
  • Mesa Community College
  • “If You are a Writer and Grieving”

Second Place

  • Patrick McCarthy
  • Glendale Community College
  • “First Drink”

Third Place

  • Lillian Titus
  • Glendale Community College
  • “Problems as a Straight Woman Now With Solutions!”

ONE-ACT PLAY/SCREENPLAY

First Place

  • Connor Blaylock
  • Chandler-Gilbert Community College
  • “Fortune”

Second Place

  • Jasper Nicholson
  • Rio Salado College
  • “Flower Garden”

Third Place

  • Kevin Flanagan
  • Phoenix College
  • “The Master Thief”

Traveler Literary Winners for 2022-2023

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Thank you to everyone who submitted creative work to the Traveler for this academic year. We are honored and grateful for your participation in our literary contest. The contest is closed for now, but it will reopen again in Fall 2023.

Without further ado, here are the literary selections for this year’s Traveler:

Fiction

  • 1st Place: The Dreamer, by Ben Bruce
  • 2nd Place: 8 Minutes and 20 Seconds, by Jack Nichols
  • 3rd Place: Bioluminescent Walks After Dark, by Joselyn Lopez
  • Honorable Mention: Front Doors, by Jessie Kurak
  • Honorable Mention: Beer Run, by Patrick McCarthy

Creative Nonfiction

  • 1st Place: The Tallest Grass, by Lilli Titus
  • 2nd Place: Lucky Fish, by Jessie Kurak
  • 3rd Place: Problems as a Straight Woman, by Lilli Titus
  • Honorable Mention: First Drink, by Patrick McCarthy

Poetry

  • 1st Place: A Love Song to Tomatoes, by Carol Powell
  • 2nd Place: Room for Dessert, by Jessie Kurak
  • 3rd Place: Stone Fires, by Brianna Lucio
  • Honorable Mention: Carousel, by Jessie Kurak
  • Honorable Mention: The Storm, by Hailey Wyman

One-Act Play/Drama

  • 1st Place: The Gas Station, by Catherine Cubillas
  • 2nd Place: Bunny Island, by Constantine Dino Cotton

Saturday Workshop: Point of View & Narrative Distance

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For our final Saturday workshop of Fall 2022, we turn our attention to point of view. This workshop will explore issues related to who tells our stories, when and where they tell these stories from, and how narratives change depending on who controls telling. From Henry James’s ‘central intelligence’ to Sesame Street’s ‘near and far’ to John Gardner’s ‘psychic distance’, we’ll discuss concepts and practice techniques to help you get the most out of your narratives.

Facilitated by Jeff Baker, come join us for a free writing workshop on GCC Main.

Saturday Workshop: Ready, Setting, Action!

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“Places are never just places in a piece of writing. If they are, the author has failed,” author Carmen Maria Machado insists. “Setting is not inert. It is activated by point of view.” 

Whether we land our readers in Hogwarts or in Wonderland, at 221B Baker Street, London or 31 Spooner Street, Quahog, Rhode Island, whether they witness the unraveling tales of Derry, Maine or of Forks, Washington, the setting of a story does more than simply mark a spot on a real or fictional map. As Machado notes, setting is often overlooked, but it plays a crucial role in the creation of a story, and in some stories, setting is a role in the story; it becomes a character all its own.

Come join the Saturday Workshop to discuss the necessity of setting, examine the effects of setting on plot, and to garner techniques for creating parallels between setting and other integral story elements like characters, foreshadowing, symbolism, and theme.