The IMPAC-Connecticut State University
Young Writers Competition
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What They're Saying...........
about the IMPAC-CSU Young Writers competition
and the literary journal Connecticut Review ...
FROM:
Charlotte Crowe,
2005 State Prose Champion,
IMPAC-CSU Young Writers competition.
(Charlotte is a student at Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Look for her photo and others in the September 05 edition of Connecticut Magazine; and her prize-winning story in the Spring 06 edition of Connecticut Review.)
I want to thank the IMPAC-CSU Young Writers Trust for recognizing young writer's work, for giving such generous awards year after year. Being honored at the Litchfield Inn in June was incredibly important to me. It helped me overcome doubts about my art and confirm my beliefs that writing is a powerful form in which to communicate.
After receiving the IMPAC-CSU statewide award for fiction I felt validated. My voice is worth something; it is worth being heard, and once heard, celebrated. Young writers face so many challenges, one of the largest being lack of support. It is vital to keep the organizations alive that encourage creative writing, that encourage creativity of any kind in an age where analytic thought is highly valued and creative thought often goes unnoticed. Young writers and their work deserve to be noticed.
Our means of communication are advancing with new technology including cell phones and the internet. Yet, somehow we all seem more disconnected from ourselves and each other. When reading the Connecticut Review I feel connected to an entire community of writers struggling to achieve the same thing I am, some kind of original truth. When these truths are clearly communicated it calls for recognition and celebration, things that IMPAC-CSU and the Connecticut Review provide.
Charlotte Crowe
Canton, Ct.
Aug. 13, 2005
FROM WALLY LAMB,*
AUTHOR OF SHE'S COME UNDONE, I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE AND, WITH THE WOMEN OF THE NIANTIC JAIL, COULDN'T KEEP IT TO MYSELF:
As both writer and teacher, I applaud IMPAC'S and CSU's ongoing commitment
to writers and readers in Connecticut.
The IMPAC-CSU Young Writers competition validates and encourages adolescents
at a critical juncture, when they are laboring to discover their voices and sing their joys
and sorrows to the world. What a gift to give them!
The award-winning and handsomely produced Connecticut Review is an antidote of sorts
to the corporatization of today's publishing industry; each issue is a diverse bouquet of voices
that deserve to be heard. Literature illuminates life, and CSU's longstanding and vital
support of both the Young Writers program and the Connecticut Review reinforces its mission
and promotes literacy and greater understanding. I salute IMPAC'S and CSU's forward thinking
and encourage continuing support of these worthwhile initiatives.
Wally Lamb
Willimantic, CT
Aug. 13, 2005
FROM CONNECTICUT POET LAUREATE MARILYN NELSON, AUTHOR OF BOOKS INCLUDING
A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL, THE FIELDS OF PRAISE AND CARVER, A LIFE IN POEMS
I'd like to thank IMPAC and CSU for their years-long commitment to writers and readers.
The IMPAC_CSU Young Writers competition is a rare and much-needed gift to high school student writers, and The Connecticut Review is a distinguished and animated nationally respected journal, both publishing established writers and discovering new ones.
At a time when American universities are pushed to lose their connection to the humanistic roots of the university, to become degree-factories committed only to producing workers to fit into economic niches, CSU has been, in its dedication to writing and reading, a rich resource and a model for both the state and the nation.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Nelson
East Haddam, Ct.
Aug. 13, 2005
FROM Diane Smith, WTIC NEWSTALK 1080
Producer / Host / Writer Positively Connecticut on CPTV
Author Positively Connecticut, Absolutely Positively Connecticut, Christmas in Connecticut and Summer in Connecticut.
The IMPAC-CSU Young Writers' Program has affirmed the desire and ability of young people to reach out and communicate with the world beyond their classrooms. Each year in reading the entries I am struck by how talented these writers are - often making me say aloud "I wish I had written that."
The commitment and leadership shown by CSU and IMPAC in supporting this program has been visionary. The IMPAC-CSU Young Writers' program is a terrific showcase for the broad values of the university system, and a wonderful way to encourage some of the best of the best of our high school students to connect with CSU.
Then, the best works of these young writers are published in the literary journal Connecticut Review -- alongside the nation's top poets and writers. This is a wonderful enhancement and a brilliant synergy.
A state that nurtured some of the most significant American writers including Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Eugene O'Neill owes it to future generations to find and encourage the new great American writers.We have a literary tradition of excellence that is positively Connecticut.
Diane Smith
Norwalk, Ct.
Aug. 14, 2005
FROM ATTY. WILLIAM CROWE,
MAYO CROWE, LLC, HARTFORD, CT.
PROUD FATHER --
I am delighted to once again convey my gratitude to you and your colleagues at IMPAC, CSU, and the Connecticut Review for everything you have done for my daughter, Charlotte.
Charlotte's participation in the IMPAC Young Writer's competition and the workshop held this spring at Central Connecticut State University not only challenged and inspired her, but significantly contributed to her growth as a young woman and a writer. Providing her with a forum to be heard and an opportunity to meet and work with established writers is something that, as a parent, I deeply appreciate.
You and your colleagues have obviously devoted many hours and much thought and care to the nurturing and development of the next generation of Connecticut's authors. I am very pleased to report to you that your efforts have greatly benefited Charlotte, as well as her friends and classmates who were fortunate enough to participate in your programs. I hope that you will be able to continue your wonderful work and will appreciate any opportunity to be of service to you.
William Crowe
Hartford, CT
Aug. 16, 2005