The three top winners of the Phoenix Sister Cities International Competition for Writers with Disabilities recently were honored at a special awards event. Applicants were asked to submit an original, unpublished poem of no more than 32 lines on the theme "One World, One Place, One Home."
The first-place winner is Christine Henry. She was recognized for her poem "I Don't Have to Create a Place to Write," and was presented with a check for $500 and an award.
The second-place winner, Peng-Wei Yuan, from Taipei, Taiwan, was selected for his poem "One World, One Place, One Dream." Yuan, who has Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), has created an electronic device to help those with ALS communicate with others. He received a check for $300 and an award.
The third-place winner is Michael Bouchard, a registered civil engineer and a city of Phoenix employee. He was recognized for his poem "Two Human Beings," and received a check for $150 and an award.
A panel of seven judges selected the winners from among 32 poems submitted by persons with disabilities, 19 years or older who are Arizona residents or residents of one of Phoenix's sister cities.
For more information on next year's writing competition and the International Competition for Artists with Disabilities in the fall 2011, call (602) 534-7351 or visit phoenixsitercities.org.
