This year, MoPop and Jack Straw Cultural Center collaborated to provide winners of their annual Write Out of This World Writing Contest with a unique experience: Winners participated in a writing workshop, voice workshop, and recording session at Jack Straw, resulting in a professional recording of each writer reading their work. Every audio piece includes an excerpt of their story, plus a summary introduction which Jack Straw writer Jared Leising helped them write.

Listen to the story excerpts below, and click on the titles to read the stories.

3rd – 5th Grade Winners:

1st Place: “Buddy” by Lauren DeBord
2nd Place: “Emma & the Flower Kingdom” by AllenaMae Dodd

6th – 8th Grade Winners:

1st Place: “The Legend of Ra” by Cleo Fuller
2nd Place: “In the Dark I See” by Madeline Rainwater
3rd Place: “Colony” by Brendan Lancaster

9th – 12th Grade Winners:

1st Place: “Wish Catcher” by Nan Wu
2nd Place: “Tsubasa” by Mia Smith
3rd Place: “The Legend of Ayeddis” by Megan Gleason

Jack Straw artist team included Jared Leising, writer; Christine Marie Brown, vocal coaches; Moe Provencher, engineer; Joan Rabinowitz, executive director.

Artists