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Noted Western Historian and Author Patty Limerick to Serve as Guest Judge
The Waterston Desert Writing Prize 2019 is now open for submissions. Applicants must submit online via Submittable through April 1. The Prize honors creative nonfiction that illustrates artistic excellence, sensitivity to place and desert literacy, with the desert as both subject and setting. Inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the high desert of Central Oregon, a region that has been her muse for over 30 years, the Prize recognizes the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative. Submission guidelines and a link to submit are available at www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org. The Prize winner will receive a $2,500 cash award, a reading and reception at the High Desert Museum in Bend and a four-week residency at PLAYA at Summer Lake, Oregon.
Patty Limerick to Serve as Guest Judge
Renowned Western historian, author and teacher Patty Limerick will serve as guest judge for the 2019 contest. She will also participate in the “A Desert Conversation” panel at the Prize’s annual award event on June 26 at the High Desert Museum. Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford and desert writer Bruce Berger will join Limerick on the panel. Limerick is the Faculty Director and Chair of the Board of the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she is also a Professor of History. Limerick has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between academics and the general public and to demonstrating the benefits of applying historical perspective to contemporary dilemmas and conflicts.
About the Waterston Desert Writing Prize
The prize is funded from an endowment managed by the Oregon Community Foundation, with the impetus for the creation of the endowment provided by actor Sam Waterston, after whom the prize is named. As the endowment for the prize grows, so will the annual prize amount. Tax deductible donations can be made online or via check to the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, and mailed to PO Box 640, Bend, Oregon 97709.
For more information about the Waterston Desert Writing Prize, visit www.waterstondesertwritingprize.org , email info@waterstondesertwritingprize.org or call 541-480-3933.