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: “The Wall” by Joanna Vahey
2nd Place: “Wood of Hoods” by Megumi Whisman
3rd Place: “Floor A, -2” by Adrienne Stern

6th – 8th Grade Winners:

1st Place: “Beyond the Window” by Tucker Cornell
2nd Place: “Rematerialize” by Mark Polyakov
3rd Place: “Famous” by Jose Luis Gandara

9th – 12th Grade Winners:

1st Place: “60 Seconds” by Lilly Hurt
2nd Place: “Fraigslist” by Amelia Miller
3rd Place: “Empty Space” by Ava Cline

Jack Straw artist team included Jared Leising, writer; Meg McLynn and Alyssa Keene, vocal coaches; CJ Lazenby, engineer; Joan Rabinowitz, executive director. Photos by Joan Rabinowitz.

Artists