Winners of 2011 non-fiction contest announced

The Hudson Valley Writers Guild is pleased to announce the winners of its 2011 Non-Fiction Contest:

Personal Essay

Winner
Fran Yardley, Tupper Lake / “Roots”

Finalists
Kathleen Anne Smith, Loudonville / “Why I Can’t Write”
Pamela Clements, Albany / “Tuna in Truro”
Faye Silton, Albany / “Muse, Mystery and Music”

Memoir

Winner
Judy Staber, Old Chatham / “My Baby Docs”

Finalists
Chloe Caldwell, Hudson / “Who the Others Were”
Francine Dempsey, Albany / “Confessional”
Jean Venable, Poughkeepsie / “Sounds Remembered”
Jean Van Dyk, Delmar / “Black Tight Pants”

Humor

Winner
Sandra Powley, Loudonville / “Friday Night at the ‘Vent”

Finalists
Christina Pultzer, Phoenicia / “Safe!!”
Rodney L. Aldrich, Troy / “Mozart’s Rest”
Christa Holder Ocker, Newburgh / “Sister Bernadette”

Honorable Mention for HVWG Member
Mary Murphy, Albany / “Beauty Secrets”

The winning entries and the honorable mention will be read at the Community of Writers Event on October 15. Presentation of awards will also be featured, as well as recognition of the finalists and judges. This event is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Albany Public Library’s Main Branch, 161 Washington Avenue, from 2-4:30 pm. The rest of the slate includes Jan Tramontano and Howard Kogan. Tramontano will be reading from her recently published novel, Standing on the Corner of Lost and Found, and Kogan will be reading from his new book of poems, Indian Summer.