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Sonoma writer well served by M.F.K. Fisher writing contest

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Audubon Canyon Ranch, steward of iconic American writer M.F.K. Fisher’s “Last House” on the Bouverie Preserve, announced today the winners of the Second Annual Last House Writing Contest.

Sonoma’s Janet Constantino took second place in the adult category for her short story, Liberation, which is printed here. It begins like this:

Mariella’s knife landed swiftly, solidly, thunk, thunk, thunk, again and again, on the cutting surface. She diced celery, carrots, and onions with precision borne of fury. She was preparing the soffritto for tomorrow’s ragu.

More about the annual contest for amateur authors:  “Once again, we had so many excellent entries our judges had a very difficult job. Writers took to heart our theme this year, which was in the spirit of Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf, to write about the power and magic of survival skills,” said Susie Allen, program manager.

Nature, gardening, wild animals, and cooking during the pandemic were themes for many writers. Others explored the joy of sharing food and new cooking adventures with loved ones.

The winning essays:

Grand Prize:                        Fed by Nature by Emma Rose

Adults 18 and over:
First place (tie):               Fed by Nature by Emma Rose, Sacramento
Letter to My Californio Son by Nick Heitkamp, Santa Rosa
Second place:                  Liberation by Janet Constantino, Sonoma
Third place:                      Re-Rooting by Linda Preminger, Cincinnati, OH

Read more winning entries

 

 

 

 

 




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