By Staff
special to The Star
May 22, 2003
Bailey Putnam and Dusty Ezell, students in Meridian Community College's College for Kids creative writing class, submitted poems to a contest open to young poets.
Richelle Putnam, teacher of the writing class, had all students study various writing markets and submit their work to one. Two students from the class are being published in two different anthologies.
Bailey, the daughter of Tim and Richelle Putnam, is a seventh-grader at Lamar Middle School. She has had her poem selected from thousands of entries as one of the top 10 in her grade division to appear in the poetry anthology "A Celebration of Young Poets."
Ezell will have his poem published in the upcoming book "VoicesNet Anthologies: The International Poetry Publication."
The contest was held for all students in kindergarten through 12; grade divisions were kindergarten-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12).
Each top 10 winner receives a complimentary copy of the anthology and a $50 savings bond. Poems are selected for literary merit, creativity and social significance.
Creative Communication sponsors the contest to offer a creative outlet that honors youth. Too often, contest organizers said, efforts of young writers are unrecognized and they lose their motivation to express themselves.
Creative Communication also awards more than $13,000 each year in language arts grants to schools to encourage young people to write.
To find out more about the book Ezell's poem will be published in visit www.voicesnet.com.