39 Local Adult, High School Writers To Be Honored At Writer's Showcase

BETHESDA, MD — The Bethesda Urban Partnership will host the Local Writer’s Showcase on March 14 and 15, celebrating writers from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

The Showcase consists of two awards ceremonies and readings, honoring the winners of the annual Bethesda Essay and Short Story Contest, and the Bethesda Poetry Contest. Both ceremonies are free and open to the public.

The Annual Bethesda Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. at The Writer’s Center, at 4508 Walsh Street in downtown Bethesda. All of the winners will read their original poems.

This year’s judge is award-winning poet Regie Cabico who was the featured poet at the 2022 Whitney Biennial and received the 2006 Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers. Regie Cabico and Guest Poet Courtney LeBlanc, Arlington County Poet Laureate, will read their poetry along with the winners.

The Showcase will continue on Friday, March 15 at 7 p.m. with the Essay & Short Story Contest Awards Ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue.

Essays were judged by writer and editor of the Baltimore Review, Julia Tagliere, author and former NPR correspondent Eric Weiner, and writer and editor Claudia Wair. Short stories were selected by writers Therese Doucet, Lisa K. Friedman, Pierre Ramon Thomas, Amy Freeman, Kelsea Johnson and Vonetta Young.

More than 700 pieces were submitted to this year’s Poetry, Essay and Short Story Contests as writers competed for a chance to win up to $500, a free class and membership to The Writer’s Center and have their work published in Bethesda Magazine’s July/August issue.

A total of $5,350 in prize money will be awarded to the 39 winners from D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

The 2024 Local Writer’s Showcase is produced by the Bethesda Urban Partnership and sponsored by MoCo 360 and The Writer’s Center. Support is also provided by The Trawick Foundation.

This year’s winners are:

Essay Winners

• Raegan O’Lone, Bethesda, MD, 1st Place
• Kyra Swantkowski, Fairfax, VA, 2nd Place
• Jonathan Kronstadt, Silver Spring, MD, 3rd Place
• Charlotte Clymer, Washington, D.C., Honorable Mention
• Rachel Coonce, University Park, MD, Honorable Mention
• Hope Randall, Bethesda, MD, Honorable Mention
• Dian Seidel, Chevy Chase, MD, Honorable Mention

High School Essay Winners

• Hannah Brunick, Quince Orchard High School, 1st Place
• Sofia Guyer, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Highschool, 2nd Place
• Ariana Miranda, Wheaton High School, 3rd Place
• Joanne Fan, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Honorable Mention
• Winnie Chen, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Honorable Mention
• Chelsea Zhu, Richard Montgomery High School, Honorable Mention

Short Story Winners

• Bari Lynn Hein, Germantown, MD, 1st Place
• Naomi Louie, Bethesda, MD, 2nd Place
• J. Milliard Simpson, Germantown, MD, 3rd Place
• Michael Norton, Silver Spring, MD, Honorable Mention
• Karen Yuldeson Sandler, Washington, D.C., Honorable Mention
• Silvia Spring, Washington, D.C., Honorable Mention

High School Short Story Winners

• Abigail Ott, Northwest High School, 1st Place
• Sydney Tamashasky, Poolesville High School, 2nd Place
• Noah Grosberg, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, 3rd Place
• Naomi Bortnick, Walt Whitman High School, Honorable Mention
• Kalina Peterson, Thomas S. Wootton High School, Honorable Mention
• Juniper Sohn, Richard Montgomery High School, Honorable Mention

Poetry Winners

• May-Mei Lee, Alexandria, VA, 1st Place
• Taylor Franson Thiel, Springfield, VA, 2nd Place
• Gary Stein, Silver Spring, MD, 3rd Place
• Emma Berver, Arlington, VA, Honorable Mention
• Susie Chen, Potomac, MD, Honorable Mention
• Kyi Kaung, Chevy Chase, MD, Honorable Mention
• Maggie Rosen, Silver Spring, MD, Honorable Mention

High School Poetry Winners

• Lauren Ajebon, Winston Churchill High School, Youth Poet Award
• Aigerim Bibol, Sidwell Friends School, Youth Poet Award
• Katherine Erceg, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Youth Poet Award
• Raquel Liriano-Dieguez, Richard Montgomery High School, Youth Poet Award
• Ariana Vazquez-Avalos, Paint Branch High School, Youth Poet Award
• Jennifer Wan, Richard Montgomery High School, Youth Poet Award
• Max Zonov, Albert Einstein High School, Youth Poet Award