On the evening of May 3, RWC held its annual program for poetry and songwriting awards, readings, and music, and it certainly did not disappoint. The evening started with an assortment of jazz by faculty member Tony Malone, and the evening ended with the talented e.E. Charlton Trujillo. Trujillo showed off her skill through poetry from books she has written, as well as her work done as a film producer. Trujillo graduated from Texas A&M and later moved on to Ohio University. She became interested in producing at the age of four, she said. “I was [already] convinced what I was going to do.”
With 62 entries for the college poetry award and over 100 for the high school awards, there was plenty of competition for the three judges Claudia Skutar, Rita Kumar, and Liz Daniel to look through. Material submitted was stripped of the author’s name so that there was no way to tell who was the creator.
Coming in first place for the students was Carl Fahr for his piece titled “Fishing for Meaning.” The college employee award was dominated by Jody Ballah, who took first and second place. While McAuley High School took first, second, and third place with three different award winners.
The songwriting contest was judged by the Activist’s own Mike Roos, and the evening was stolen by first place winner Brittany Gilstrap for her performance of “Cloud 9.”
Prizes for the songwriting contest winner and runner-up-including an hour of studio recording time and an acoustic guitar- were provided by Willis Music.
The entire evening was filled with rising talent, and RWC and the surrounding community certainly have names to keep an ear on.