Regional Writing Awards
By Robin Hauenstein
April 2, 2011
At the eighth annual Wayne College Writers Workshop, April 2, a handful of Holmes County-themed writers made their presence known. The event, which drew in a record crowd of around 150, is an annual opportunity for current and aspiring writers to gather and learn tips to hone their craft. The 11th annual awards, handed out to students and adults, always is a popular draw. This year, one Millersburg woman did what no others have done before her: win three of the top awards.
Denice Hazlett, of Millersburg, won first-place awards in poetry, short story and nonfiction writing. Hazlett, who took up writing last fall after many years off to mother and home-school her children, didn’t think she had a chance to win. However, her husband, Toby, and their five children encouraged her to pursue her passion.
Winning for the poem A Glass of Milk, short story Bradbury and her nonfiction essay Gary the Giant, Hazlett received $100 checks for each winning entry. A writer for Graphic Publications who also maintains her own website as a blogger, Hazlett found the financial side of writing rewarding, especially when Toby found himself out of work last fall.
“It’s exciting,” she said, adding, “I was really blown away” about winning all three awards. Dr. Jack Kristofco told the crowd gathered that a triple winner has never happened before in the regional writing awards. The submissions are judged by an independent panel selected by the college. No names are on submitted works when they are judged.
Hazlett plans to continue working on a collection of short stories with artwork from her son Aleks. She submits works to literary publications and hopes to “continue to write and find my writer’s voice.”
Wooster-based Paul L. Gaus, popular mystery writer who uses Holmes County as the base for his series of works, was the featured speaker at the event. Gaus spoke in two small group settings as well as the keynote address on taking small steps to becoming a novelist. Gaus then helped Kristofco hand out awards to the student and regional winners.
When it came time for the final award, Kristofco called it the “Academy Award” of the workshop, and a surprised-looking Gaus was called up to receive the 2011 honor. In addition to a plaque, he also received a $500 check for his literary achievements.
Gaus and Hazlett were not the only connections to Holmes County at the April 2 event. East Holmes resident Paul Stutzman spoke during two workshops on The Path to My Book, relating his experiences as the author of Hiking Through, his critically-acclaimed and well-received first book about walking the Appalachian Trail. Stutzman is working on the follow-up, about biking across America, appropriately titled Biking Through.
John Lorson, the coordinator of the Holmes County Higher Education Center, is part of the planning team for the event and Lorson hosted Richard Hague, a poet from southern Ohio. Other speakers included Dr. Debra Johanyak, who talked about writing scripts for drama or film, and Thomas Bacher, the director of the University of Akron Press.
The Writers Workshop is the culmination of a yearlong event, involving most of Wayne College’s word processing department, numerous other staff members, college and high school teachers, public relations, and community sponsors. Kristofco said the workshop, which cost $35 to attend, is praised by attendees for high quality at a low cost, and Dr. Sue Horn added that most of the participants and speakers often tell her that they’ve never been treated as nicely as they are at the Wayne College event.
For Paul Stutzman, Paul Gaus and Denice Hazlett, the writers workshop was not only a way to showcase their work, but also to highlight talent with Holmes County connections. In the end, they, too, felt they were treated very nicely.