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Triangle women share their stories for annual writing contest

Carolina Woman

The grand prize for the Carolina Woman 2020 writing contest winner is a stay in Richmond’s Linden Row Inn. Photo courtesy of Carolina Woman magazine. 

Chapel Hill-based magazine, Carolina Woman, is uplifting women’s stories with its 2020 writing contest.

Carolina Woman is the largest women’s magazine in North and South Carolina, according to its website. It was founded in 1993 with the mission of informing and celebrating the area’s women. 

The writing contest will accept submissions until Feb. 28. Contestants may submit up to three pieces for consideration, and the entries must be labeled as either fiction, nonfiction or poetry. 

This year’s grand prize is a weekend getaway to Richmond, Virginia. The winner will stay in a boutique hotel consisting of seven row houses in Richmond’s Arts District area. 

Other prizes include an electric scooter, a package of aromatherapy room sprays made in Asheville and a collection of books related to creativity and emotional intelligence. 

Debra Simon, editor and publisher of Carolina Woman, said the panel of judges looks for impactful pieces which will resonate with the magazine’s 100,000 readers. 

“I’m in awe of women who take the time to write and have the courage to send in their work,” Simon said. 

Maureen Sherbondy won a previous Carolina Woman writing contest with a short entry entitled "A Clown’s Story." 

The short story’s plot involves a man who works a tedious office job, yet secretly dreams of becoming a clown. 

“He decides to go to clown school after losing his job, and what happens is his wife finds a picture of him in the local paper,” Sherbondy said. 

Many of the contestants have extensive writing experience. Ruth Moose, a former creative writing professor at UNC, entered this year’s contest on a past student’s recommendation. 

Moose’s history of writing began when she wrote over her grandfather’s sermon as a young child. 

While Moose kept a diary and pen pals in her adolescence, she distinctly remembers entering her first writing contest at 12 years old. 

“It was a national writing contest, and the prompt was to write about America the Beautiful in 25 words or less,” Moose said. 

Moose won a $25 gift certificate, and this moment helped her realize that she could be financially awarded for her work. During her 25 years as a creative writing professor, she encouraged her students to enter writing contests. Moose said they provide great writing practice with deadlines and concise word counts. 

Babs Mountjoy, a former attorney, said she draws on personal experiences to give her female protagonists a relatable perspective. 

She said the piece she wrote for last year’s contest involved a mother having to make a tough decision. 

“The heroines I write are always strong in the end, but they have some self-doubt,” Mountjoy said. “And because of their life experiences, they have a vulnerability that they have to face and overcome.” 

Mountjoy also said she feels compelled to showcase women’s diverse talents in her writing. 

“Women need to have a voice, and I think we can show that in the way we write our stories and get our thoughts out into the general discussion that isn’t available to other people,” Mountjoy said.

Both Mountjoy and Sherbondy said they find creative inspiration from the supportive North Carolina writing community. 

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Sherbondy said North Carolina’s collective writing talent and support is unparalleled among other states she has lived including New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California. 

“They say you can throw a rock and hit a writer here, and I’ve found that to be true,” Sherbondy said. 

arts@dailytarheel.com