The Young Writers Contest Awards Banquet
with guest speakers
Camille Minichino and David Alpaugh
Join us as we celebrate a new generation of California writers. We are pleased to host the winners of our 2009 Young Writers Contest. Our branch is incorporated with the mission to educate both writers and the public in the art and craft of professional writing. Our most important outreach mission is to public and private middle school students in Contra Costa County. It’s always exciting to honor young writers who have excelled in the areas of short story, poetry, and essay/personal narrative.
Our guest speakers at this year’s awards ceremony are mystery novelist Camille Minichino and poet David Alpaugh. Both are distinguished authors who have generously devoted time and talent to guiding aspiring authors.
Camille Minichino is a valued member of Mt. Diablo Branch. In 2007 we presented her with our highest honor, the Jack London Award. She has published eight novels in the periodic table mystery series. Her new series, The Miniature Mysteries, is based on her lifelong miniatures hobby. She received her Ph.D. in physics from Fordham University, New York City and has enjoyed a long career in research, teaching, and writing. She is currently on the faculty of Golden Gate University (San Francisco) and the staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Camille serves on the Mt. Diablo Branch and NorCal Sisters in Crime boards of directors. Learn more about her at www.minichino.com.
Noted for his wit and humor, David Alpaugh is one of the most popular poets in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has been a featured reader at book stores, cafés, colleges, civic centers, and other venues. His poetry, fiction, drama, and criticism have appeared in more than 100 literary journals and anthologies. His first collection Counterpoint won the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize from Story Line Press and his chapbooks have been published by Coracle Books and Pudding House Publications. He publishes the Carquinez Poetry Review and hosts one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most popular poetry reading series at Valona Delicatessen in Crockett. Heavy Lifting (poems 1995 through 2006) is the first volume of poetry to be published by San Francisco-based publisher Alehouse Press. Learn more about David Alpaugh at www.davidalpaugh.com.
Join us as we celebrate a new generation of California writers.
We are pleased to host the winners of our 2009 Young Writers Contest.