Tuesday, May 6 @ 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Aspiring authors will be recognized in the 2025 Paper Gardens Creative Writing Contest on Tuesday, May 6, from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg.
Chosen from entrants across the county, 22 MSD students were selected in poetry and prose categories across age groups.
Selected authors will be invited to read their winning entries and each author will receive a copy of the the book. Additional copies will be available for sale at the event. All student winners, their parents, educators and friends are invited to attend the free Paper Gardens book release and celebration. MSD winners include:
Children – Traditional Poetry
Benjamin Jeffries, Midnight Snack, Willamette
Willow Pederson, Tails of the Mighty, Willamette
Willow Pederson, Willow Trees, Willamette
Children – Free Verse
Evelyn Davies, Music, Memorial
Kyla Kimura, Quiet, Memorial
Kyla Kimura, Waiting, Memorial
Cora Lasslett, Changes, Memorial
Leona Stetser, Free, Memorial
Cason Widmer, Zoning Out, Grandhaven
Children – Poetry of Place
Sam Gordon, The Oregon Adventure Awaits, Grandhaven
Cason Widmer, Oregon In Me, Grandhaven
Children – Haiku
Evelyn Davies, Summer, Memorial
Evelyn Davies, Winter, Memorial
Gabriela Martins, Salt on the Sidewalk, Grandhaven
Children – Fiction
John Paul Burke, Boston Bombing: A Dog’s Story, Willamette
Sloan McGinty, Improve, Willamette
Jude Turk, A Story of Numbers, Willamette
Zoey Villaseñor, Tiger, Willamette
Children – Nonfiction
Isaac Frausto Diaz, Mexico, Willamette
Taylor Talbot My Fish, Grandhaven
Youth – Traditional Poetry
Malea Fox, The Beauty, Patton
Haze Potts, A Fairytale, Patton
Youth – Free Verse
Jane Kim, Love at Stake, Patton
Gisele Martins, Diving, Patton
Haley Potts, Circus, Patton
Youth, Middle School – Poetry of Place
Haze Potts, The House Behind the Hill, Patton
Olive Tillberg, Silver Falls, Patton
Youth, Middle School – Haiku
Jane Kim, A Kiss to the Wind, Patton
Olive Tillberg, Axolotls, Patton
Olive Tillberg, Dogs, Patton
Joshua Woodworth, Laser, Patton
Youth Prose, High School – Fiction
Ayla Westfall, Favorite Child, McMinnville High School
The Paper Gardens creative writing contest has been sponsored by the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County for more than 30 years. This year’s judges were Kari Luna for Prose categories and Carolyn Martin for Poetry. The complete list of Paper Gardens authors is posted on the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County website.