Winners of NWF State College LaRoche Memorial Poetry Contest Announced
February 23, 2018
NICEVILLE, FL– The James and Christian LaRoche Memorial Poetry Contest is an annual contest open to all NWF State College undergraduates. Winners of this year’s contest were recently named.
Allison Williams (Tallahassee) won first place and the prize of $100 for her poem “Exit 196.” Williams’ poem will be published in April as a part of the 2018 issue of the college’s annual journal of art and literature, Blackwater Review.
This year, there was a tie for second place. Finn Newton (Fort Walton Beach) placed second with his poem “In a Bind.” Lucy Miree (Santa Rosa Beach) also placed second. Her poem is titled “Birth Pains.”
Both Newton and Miree will be awarded a prize of $50.
The winners will be recognized and awarded their prizes at this year’s Student Awards Day on April 20, 2018.
For 32 years, the LaRoche name has been associated with poetry at NWF State College. In 1986, Christian LaRoche instituted the contest to honor her late husband James who was a poet and instructor at the college from 1968-1983. The James and Christian LaRoche Memorial Poetry Contest became the official name after the death of Christian to honor both as champions of the writing arts.
For more information on the James and Christian LaRoche Memorial Poetry Contest, please contact Amy Ridell at (850) 863-6529 or ridella@nwfsc.edu.