Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene hosts 3rd Annual Writer’s Award Banquet at WWAY Event Center

LELAND, NC (WWAY) – Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene held its 3rd Annual Writer’s Award Banquet at the WWAY Event Center in Leland on Saturday, April 15.

Cape Fear Voices is an outlet for creative individuals within the Cape Fear community to express their writing talents. The nonprofit publishes the work of dozens of adult writers across the region. For Teen Scene, the nonprofit recruits dedicated teens who want to develop their writing skills.

Participating schools include Brunswick County Early College, South Brunswick High School, Cedar Grove Middle School, Leland Middle School, and Town Creek Middle School. Contributing schools are Myrtle Grove Middle School, North Brunswick High School, and West Brunswick High School.

The guest speaker for the awards banquet was Kristie Van Auken, Special Advisor for Workforce Engagement with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s Division of State Superintendent.

“It’s a very unique partnership where we see all the heart and soul of a community pouring into students and pouring into journalism which we feel is absolutely vital as students launch into a career regardless of what the career journey might look like,” Auken said.

Carl Parker, president of NAACP Brunswick County Branch #5452, presented Laura Askue with the Educator Award. She is the journalism teacher at Brunswick College Early College High School.

Brunswick Arts Council (BAC) Executive Director Mary Beth Livers presented two teen awards, one for poetry and one for art. The BAC was the presenting sponsor for the banquet.

The event’s theme was “Celebrating Super Heroes” with entertainment provided by Susan Savia and food presented by Diamond Catering.

The Teen Scene award winners were:

• Charlie Sedbrook, 7th Grade, Leland Middle School, for “Inspiration Within the Horse” in the Non-Fiction/Reportage category
• Lily Rae Bradley, 7th Grade, Leland Middle School for “The Crossroads,” in the Fiction/Creative Writing category
• Arabella Ong, 11th Grade, BC Early College High School, for “One Size Does Not Fit All,” for Reviews and Persuasive Essays category
• Arwen Lyonnesse, 11th Grade, BC Early College High School, for “Window Shopping,” in the Poetry category
• Rayna Chew, North Brunswick High School, for “My Love of Art,” in the Art category

The Cape Fear Voices winners were:

• “A Tribute to Tenacity,” by David Hume, III in the Non-Fiction/History category
• Paul Paolicelli, for “Folks I Met Along the Way – My Fair Lady,” in the Memories/Personal Essay category
• “A Lotto Help” by Dan Neizmik, in the Poetry category
• Karen Phillips Smith for “Best Laid Plans” in the Humor category

For more information about Cape Fear Voices/Teen Scene, click here.