Creative Writing: 2001-2002 Winning Entries
NOTE: All written works are copyright of the student authors- use without written permission is not permitted.
Poetry
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Short Story
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Creative Non-Fiction
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One Act Play
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About the Authors
GARETH AMPHLETT
Third Place, One-Act Play: "Two Monkeys and a Pepsi Can"
Gareth recently graduated from North Canyon High School and is currently attending
Paradise Valley Community College. He is majoring in Music Theory and Philosophy
and plans to do something in Playwrighting. He wrote, directed and starred in a play
of his called, "From Childhood's Hour." He received the John Phillip Sousa Band
Award at the end of his senior year in high school, which is given in recognition of
school instrumental achievement. He is obsessed with Star Trek and also composes
music.
ROXANE BARWICK
Honorable Mention, Poetry: "Transvestite"
Roxane Barwick is an adult student returning to her educational goals at Scottsdale
Community College. After completing a transfer partnership degree at SCC, she plans
to attend Arizona State University and major in Psychology. Roxane is an active member
of the SCC community where she is the President of The Friends of Kids Club and
a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Roxane is married to her best friend, Larry, and they
have two children. After taking her first creative writing class during the Spring 2001
semester from Professor Sandra Desjardins, Roxane has discovered a healthy new way
of processing her life experiences. She is forever grateful for the experience and plans
to continue her writing.
DEBORAH BAUER
Honorable Mention, Short Story: "The Infant Department"
Deborah Bauer lives and writes in Tempe. She is married to Richard. They have two
college-age children. This is the second year her work has been included in this
publication. She would like to thank the creative writing teachers at Phoenix College
for all of their help.
MARIKA BROWN
Honorable Mention, Short Story: "One Finger"
Marika won an honorable mention in both Poetry and Short Story in last year's
Creative Writing Competition and also won second place in Poetry and Short Story in
Scottsdale Community College's writing competition. She is heading to Washington to
finish her education, majoring in English. Marika came into writing as a therapy after
the death of her brother, Seth Brown, age 22. She wants to give thanks to Sandy
Desjardins for being a guide for modest poets like herself, and being the most monumental
teacher to ever challenge her thoughts, beliefs and motivations.
DENNIS BURNS
First Place, One-Act Play: "Marbles"
Dennis Burns, known to his friends as Dragon-Lord or Dragon Diver, is a mix of Native
American and some other questionable source ancestry. A forty-seven-year-old returning
student, native of San Diego, transplanted via the heart to the wondrous deserts north
of Phoenix. He is also a retired Naval combat veteran of 23 years with most time spent
in Asia. Hobbies are scuba, poetry, writing, painting, making music, reading, biking,
anthropology and psychology. Thanks to Dr. Roma-Deely and others. This was Dennis'
first attempt to write a play.
DENICE CALDWELL
First Place, Poetry: "Applied Math"
Third Place, Creative Non-Fiction: "A Reader's Journey"
Denice Caldwell enrolled at SCC two years ago to take the classes she couldn't appreciate
when she was younger. Her favorite pastimes are reading and thinking about
things. She thanks Sandra Desjardins and Fara Darland for their teaching mastery, her
fellow SCC writers for their friendship, honesty, and inspiration, and her husband and
daughters, Craig, Caitlin, and Jessica, for their love and encouragement.
DIAYN DAY
First Place, Short Story: "A Bum's Tale"
First Place, Creative Non-Fiction: "Aunt Melba's Accidental Detour"
Diayn is pleased and astonished to win first place in short story and non-fiction
because she mostly imagines herself a playwright. She has a degree in cultural anthropology
which makes her observant, but is otherwise of dubious practical value.
ELIZABETH FARRIS
Honorable Mention, One-Act Play: "Potluck With Two Hot Dishes"
Elizabeth "Libby" Farris writes comedy screenplays and stage plays. She is co-founder
of Phoenix Stage and Screenwriters Group, and has formed a film production company
with several friends. Their first short film, shot in Phoenix, is currently in post-production.
Her first two one-act comedy stage plays were produced by My Home Theatre
Company's "The Light of Stage Festival" in June 2001.
CAROL HOESCH
Third Place, Poetry: "After Carrington"
Carol is a musician and teacher who takes delight in the diverse imaginative capabilities
of all whom she encounters. She is fascinated by the beauty of human development
as reflected through language(s), including the philology of music/poetry/literature and
with communication with all peoples and other species with whom we share on our
little planet. As W.H. Auden stated, "We must love one another or die." Special
thanks to Margot, Sandy, Walt and Michael for helping me find my words.
MISTY KIWAK JACOBS
Second Place, Poetry: "Divorce"
Misty was born in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1969. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence
College in 1991. A wife and mother of two (Isaiah, 5 and Chloe, 2), she spends her
limited free time with good friends and books. Misty plans to pursue an MFA in writing.
Her poem "Divorce" wrote itself; the line "a naked cowboy in my mother's
kitchen" kept running through her head for days. When she finally wrote it down, the
rest of the lines, the tone and rhythm, just grew up around that line. Misty is indebted
to Sandra Desjardins for forcing her to write poetry, and to all the dedicated writing
students at SCC for their honesty, criticism and praise.
SUZANNE LAWRENCE
Honorable Mention, Creative Non-Fiction: "Why I No Longer Smoke"
Suzanne took her first creative writing class in the spring of 2001. The same semester
she was recognized with an honorable mention in the Scottsdale Community College
writing contest. She is very grateful for the guidance and inspiration from Sandra
Desjardins, who taught Suzanne a great deal about teaching and writing. Suzanne
holds a B.A. from ASU and continues to study writing, yoga, anatomy and physiology.
She lives happily in Scottsdale with her fiancŽ, Keith, their two cats, Hunter and Bobo,
and their dog, Woody.
NANCY McCURRY
Honorable Mention, Short Story: "A Quarter, Two Dimes, and a Penny"
Nancy is the mother of two boys and the wife of a kind and supportive man. Last year
she won first place in Creative Non-fiction in PVCC's writing competition and again at
District level. The story was later granted an Honorable Mention from the League for
Innovation's national writing competition. This year, her entries took first and second
place, in fiction and non-fiction respectively, at PVCC's competition. She was later
awarded an Honorable Mention for her fiction piece at District. While her winning
selections are of a serious nature, she aspires to be a flexible writer well versed in the
humor of life and the world in general. Nancy is applying to Vermont College for her
Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies, concentrating on creative writing.
MICHAEL PAULEY
Second Place, One-Act Play: "Dried Rose Dreams in the Garden of Eve"
Michael R. Pauley is excited to be recognized by the Maricopa Community Colleges'
Creative Writing Competition for his one act play, "Dried Rose Dreams in the Garden
of Eve." Mike has had one full-length play, "The Vindictive Will," produced in 1998.
He was also awarded the Critic's Choice Award for his one-act play, "The Creation"
in the 1998 Suburban Prairie Conference Writing Competition. In addition to writing,
Mike has been working in theatre as an actor and a technician for eight years. He has
spent the past two years studying at Mesa and Scottsdale Community Colleges, including
graduation from SCC's Southwest Shakespeare Conservatory. Mike would like to thank
Mrs. Pam Fields for her critiques of "Dried Rose DreamsÉ" as well as all of his
colleagues who assisted him during the writing process.
LINDA PRESSMAN
Honorable Mention, Creative Non-Fiction: "Poker Party"
Linda Pressman lived in Chicago until she was thirteen, after which her family moved
to Arizona. She holds a B.A. in History and completed all coursework towards a
Masters in Medieval History, both at Arizona State University. She has spent the majority
of her professional life working in banking and insurance, finally returning to writing
in the fall of 2001 at Paradise Valley Community College. In addition to this award,
she also won First Place in Poetry and Second Place in Creative Non-Fiction in the
PVCC Creative Writing contest. When she is not writing, she works part-time in
insurance, takes creative writing classes at PVCC, and attends Jazzercise classes. She
lives in Scottsdale with her husband, Howard, and their two children, Daniel, 6, and
Rachel, 2.
CHRISTINA ROBERTS
Honrable Mention, One-Act Play: "April Fool"
Christy is a part-time student at Paradise Valley Community College working toward
her Associate of Arts degree. She hopes to transfer to one of the state universities to
pursue a degree in English. She is married and runs the office of her husband's general
contracting company. Christy wishes to thank Dr. Lois Roma-Deeley for her encouragement
and support.
KIMBERLY ROCK
Honorable Mention, Poetry: "Greenwich Village, 1953"
Currently, Kimberly is working towards a journalism degree at ASU as well as sending
out her own freelance writing and photography.
ZOOEY STONE
Third Place, Short Story: "A Stole of Plastic"
Zooey loves to love and there are many things she loves. She loves language for bringing
her closer to God and to herself and often times, her friends. She loves Gerber daisies, a
light wind in spring, her grandmother's white hair, and the high school students she
teaches. Authentic is one of her favorite words. Her cat is her first audience for her
new poems. He purrs to the rhythm of her voice. She hopes to die owing the world
nothing after having offered everything. "Are you living your truth?" she would ask of
us all.
JAMES VEST
Second Place, Short Story: "Speedway Radar Pigs"
Honorable Mention, Poetry: "Looking at Lights"
James is an honors student at Scottsdale Community College majoring in motion
picture/television production in the screenwriting track. He just finished producing a
one-hour television show at Scottsdale Center for the Arts for the Maricopa Institute
for Arts and Entertainment Technology. James would like to thank Sandra Desjardins
for this and all his future writing success, Boyd Brand, and also his mother and father.
TRACY WERTH
Honorable Mention, Creative Non-Fiction: "Red, Ripe Tomatoes"
Honorable Mention, One-Act Play: "Escape on a Blue Note"
Tracy wishes to thank the Creative Writing Program at Phoenix College for helping her
hone her writing skills. If only the rest of the publishing world is half as encouraging,
she will be grateful.
ROXANNE WHEELOCK
Second Place, Creative Non-Fiction: "The Beast Within"
Roxanne Wheelock has 20 years of experience in the human performance technology
field, beginning with a doctoral in clinical psychology at Arizona State University. She
worked in the semiconductor industry for the next 10 years as a training specialist and
organization development consultant. Self-employed since 1992, Roxanne develops
computer and web-based performance improvement applications. She takes ongoing
classes in order to continuously improve both her technical and creative skills.
