Student authors to be honored

Talented student writers from across the Valley will be honored at the District Young Authors Celebration, held tomorrow at the Platte Valley Community Center.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., placements will be announced and district winners will read their original pieces of literature. Several Carbon County School District No. 2 students from grades kindergarten through 12th grade entered the competition, submitting original poetry and fiction or non-fiction writing pieces.

As tomorrow evening's keynote speaker, Wyoming poet/author Matt Daly will also talk about writing and read some of his own work. Daly will also be working with students at Encampment School on Thursday and Friday mornings.

The Young Authors contest is run by the Wyoming Reading Council, and at the state level, a first place winner is chosen and two honorable mentions are given in each category for each grade level. The district's first-place winner was Guy Erickson, a 10th-grader from Encampment School, for his fiction piece "The Heart of the Fog".

Local honorable mentions went to Daylene Jump, Saratoga Elementary, first grade, poetry, "My Ranch Poems"; Paige Powell, Encampment School, seventh grade, poetry, "The Way I Am"; Takoda Pedersen, Encampment, seventh grade, non-fiction, "Finding the Milk"; Spencer Knotwell, Encampment, eighth grade, poetry, "Singing Poems"; Kaylyn Herring, Encampment, eighth grade, fiction, "Diary of a Scarred Girl"; Bailey Miller, Encampment, ninth grade, poetry, "My Life Sonnets"; Alyssa Barkhurst, Encampment, 10th grade, poetry, "When the Wind Blows"; Cassidy Little, Encampment, 10th grade, non-fiction, "The Greatest Victory"; and Cameron Collamer, Saratoga Middle/High School, 12th grade, non-fiction, "Taking the Next Step".

The District Young Authors Celebration at the PVCC is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Platte Valley Arts Council.