**Submissions are now closed**

A WWA Literary contest in the memory of Jerry Apps

Questions? wwapress@wiwrite.org

Grand Prize:  Moose Lake by Patrick Ritter

 In Wisconsin, past glacial events gave us the gift of lakes. In the summer, we head to our lakes to escape the heat. In this story, a young boy growing up in the 1950s remembers an afternoon on Moose Lake. The anticipation of planning and travel to reach the boat dock, imaginative shoreline discoveries with a brother, the feeling of cruising along the waves in a speedboat, and the humor in Wisconsin weather take the reader along for the ride. Wisconsin lakes, when you return home, “leave behind a seed. . .  Like waves, they lap up against your imagination.

Patrick Ritter is well qualified to write written about Wisconsin lakes He was born in Milwaukee and lived in Wauwatosa for his six years. During the summers, his family stayed in a small cottage on Beaver Lake in Waukesha County. His father bought the first lot of the old Beaumont estate. Patrick and his six siblings spent many idyllic summers swimming, water skiing, and fishing on Beaver Lake, and we had adventurous winters ice skating, playing hockey on the lake, and building sled and toboggan runs down our lawn. Patrick attended University Lake School in Hartland, and UW-Madison. He earned a master’s degree in environmental engineering at Stanford and enjoyed an interesting career which took him all over the United States, as well as to South America, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan,. His short stories have appeared in The Cold Creek Review, Freedom Fiction, Fiction-On-The-Web, Cli-Fi Anthology, and Travelers Tales, and published poetry in Defenestration and ESCOM Journal. He recently won the Sixteenth Annual Solas Award, First Place Grand Prize, for Best Short Story of the Year.

Runner-Up One: The State I’m In by Jim Landwehr

At age twenty-four, in 1983, the writer travels from Minnesota to a new job in Waukesha. This move marks the beginning of life in a new state. Told in short, meaningful vignettes, this piece describes a lifetime of experiences that honor and celebrate Wisconsin's culture. From fish-fry Friday in Milwaukee, to river rafting, squeaky cheese curds at the Madison Farmer’s Market, State Street, and Badger students, to fishing on a pier Up North in Mercer. From Lambeau Field to the Stoughton Opera House, each story gives us a window into the writer’s life over 40 years. He describes an appreciation for our state, born of the good people and landscapes of Wisconsin.

Jim Landwehr has published a short story collection, All That It Seems, and four memoirs, At the Lake, Cretin Boy, Dirty Shirt, and The Portland House. He has also six published poetry collections, Tea in the Pacific Northwest, Thoughts from a Line at the DMV, Genetically Speaking, Reciting from Memory (eBook), Written Life, and On a Road. His fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have been featured in many different publications and anthologies. Jim was the 2018-2019 poet laureate for the Village of Wales, Wisconsin. He is retired and lives with his wife, Donna, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. 

Runner-Up Two: Preservation Obsession by Lisa Lickel

What happens when preservation becomes an obsession? The writer shares her passion and experiences with the historical preservation of an Inn in Washington County. She wonders whether her investment of time and energy is worth it, given encounters with mice, bats, and raccoons, along with the memories. Of course, it is worth the effort~ to save and restore the old beams and plaster walls made by the hands of young immigrants from Prussia. Even though the writer wonders whether her obsession “literally stays in my blood” from the air she breathes while cleaning. 

Lisa Lickel is an author, editor, and writing mentor. Formerly of eastern Wisconsin where she was involved in historical societies in the area, and the State historical society, she now lives in the Driftless area, and works with Wisconsin Writers Association in a number of capacities. Her children’s book, The Saxon Boy, about a young boy who grew up in the Saxonia House, won a Jade Ring in 2013.

Judge: Susan Apps Bodilly

Susan is a retired educator and writer. She taught elementary and middle school students for 34 years. She holds a Bachelor's in Elementary Education and a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction.

When she is not reading or writing, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, hiking at the family cabin, kayaking, and trying new recipes with produce from her garden.

Photo by Steve Apps