To encourage the craft, VCWC sponsors an annual poetry contest. We honor our past winners. If you have any information about the 2005 and 2006 poetry contests, as well as honorable mentions from past contests, please contact Barbara at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2005 and 2006

First Place: DNA by William Vietinghoff

Second Place: August by Tim Tipton

Third Place: Beyond the Margin by Diana Blackburn

Third Place: A tanka by Doris Vernon

 

2007

Non-Published

First Place: My 8th Birthday (after Frank O' Hara) by Melissa Grossman

Second Place: Joy in the Morning by Danielle Brown

Third Place: Battles by Paul Westefer

HM: Carelessness by Melissa Grossman

HM: Spring Rain by Danielle Brown

HM: Silence Is Golden by Helen Stockdale.

 

Published

First Place: How to Paint Yourself Into a Corner by Cathryn Andresen

Second Place: Some Reasons Why I Won't Loan You $500 by Michael Faran

Third Place: Rick Sings by Phil Taggert

HM: Perfect Lady by Risky Betts

HM: Hansel Comforts Gretel by Doris Vernon

HM: to the girl wearing a rain-soaked beret by Michael Faran

HM: Labor Day at Lake Chautauqua by Mary H. Shaffer.

2008

First Place: Lament for a Long-Stranded Ship by James Vernon

Second Place: Adam and Eve Revisited by Stuart Chalfant

Third Place: Horses, Higher Education & A Budweiser Beer Salesman by Polly Bee

 

2009

Adults

First Place: Renovation by Cathryn Andresen

Second Place: Featherbrains by Margaret Morris

Third Place: We Go to a Fire by Michael Faran

 

Under 18

First Place: Being Me by Elizabeth Riker

Second Place: The Silly Game by Valerie Lopez

Third Place: Ode to an Orange by Patty Espinoza

 

2010

Adults

First Place: Mother Redux by Carla Laureen Henry

Second Place: The Enigma of Survival by Patricia Hoad

Third Place: The woman who Went to Bed by Ron A. Alexander

HM: One Fence Away by Michael Faran

HM: Blue Lupine by Patricia Hoad

HM:  Senryu by doris Vernon

 

Youth: 13-18

First Place: Invasion by Rachel Phillips

Second  Place:  It Rains by Cara Pew

Third Place: The Dog by Mykel Davis

HM: Cancer Chooses You by Carly Horne

HM: A Mirror’s Secret by Megan Yip

HM:  Little Miss Smug by Rachel Phillips

HM: Punching Bag by Arvind Bhattacharya

HM:  Lil Jester by Edgar L Palencia

 

2011

Adults

First Prize: and those who call themselves human…what are they like? by Virginia Anderson

Second Prize: To Die For by Michael Faran

Third Prize: Dylan '65 by Michael Faran

 

Youth: 13-18

First Prize: Memorization by Katie Wurtzel

Second Prize: I'm Still Here by Erin Strubbe

Third Prize: I'm Already There by Ana-Luisa Anaya

HM: Disarray by Sara Wilson

HM:  Winter's Melody by Juliana DiStefano

 

Youth: 12 and under

First Prize: Storm by Kayla Borkovec

Second Prize: The Shooting Star by Alisha Patel

Third Prize: Avalanche by Chris Flood

To encourage the craft, VCWC sponsors an annual short story contest. Listed below are our past winners. We are looking for information about our 2005 contest about the order of the winners, as well as any honorable mentions for past contests. If you have any information, please contact Barbara at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

2005

The Concrete is Always Greener by Wendy Dager

To Hold Harmless by Sharon Patterson

Pas De Deux by Lucille Sutton

The Scent of Honeysuckle by Carol Pond

Divine Wind by Bruce Henderson

The Mudslinger by LeeAnne Clark

A Butterfly for Bernice by Susan Brown

The Curative Powers of Chocolate by Karen Gorback

What Really Happened to Helen Fork by Liz Gollen

 

2006

First Place: Movin' by Lee Wade

Second Place: New Names and Old Brisket by Dallas Woodburn

Third Place: The Abandoned House by Gordon Twa

 

2007

First Place: Leaf by Leaf by Lori Anaya

Second Place: Nacho's Nopales by Matthew Demaria

Third Place: The Ticket by Sheli Ellsworth

 

2008

First Place: The Last Dime by Mal King

Second Place: Quest by Jim Seerden

Third Place: The Drive Home by Tammy Delatorre

 

2009

First Place: Rendezvous with the Boatman by Kathleen Auth and Claudette Young

Second Place: Love in the Time of Nixon by Susan Brown,

Third Place: A Lesson, A Test, A Gift? by Shlomo Kreitzer

 

2010

First Place: The Man Who Talks with Birds by Robert Sanders

Second Place: Rosie Sees the Light by Carol Fogel

Third Place: The Runner by Greg Elliot

The 2012 Poetry Contest has closed. Best of luck to all who have entered!

Winners Read Winning Entries at the January 10 Meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club

 The winners of the 12th Annual Ventura County Writers Club Short Story Contest have been announced. Each read their winning entry at the January 10 meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club (VCWC), which included a celebration reception following the presentation of awards and the readings. There were more than 100 entries in the contest, many from around the country.

The winners are:

First Place: Bill Stermer of Camarillo, CA for The Last Speed Run
Second Place: Roni Hooper of Camarillo, CA for Holding Onto Hawaii
Third Place: Sheli Ellsworth of Thousand Oaks, CA for Lynchburg Correctional, 1845

Honorable Mention: Carol Fogel of Thousand Oaks, CA
Honorable Mention: Frank Leupp of Camarillo, CA
Honorable Mention: Jan Schulman of Oxnard, CA

The first place winning entry was published in the January 8th edition of the Ventura County Star and the first, second and third place winning entries are published in the online edition of the paper. Three editors at the newspaper acted as the final judges, selecting the three cash winners and three honorable mentions.

"We welcome the public to celebrate our local winners," said Kate Sexton, President of VCWC. "Each year the crowd grows as the community comes out to congratulate our winners and listen to their winning short stories. The club appreciates the continued support of The Ventura County Star, for judging the finalists and publishing the winning story."