Shawano Area Writers

      The Shawano Area Writers group (SAW) was formed in 1966.  Through the years the members have had letters, articles, and poems printed in the local newspapers.  Several writers have had their work published in distant publications and some have even published books.  The group was instrumental in putting together the book, Shawano City Centennial - 1874 - 1974.  Members of the Shawano Area Writers helped in the writing and editing of the Shawano County Sesquicentennial 1853 - 2003 book.

    SAW meets once a month at 10:00 a.m., on the third Thursday of the month, in the Engel room of the Shawano City-County library.  Currently there is a $5 per year membership fee.  Starting in June of 2004, on a quarterly basis, members of the Shawano Area Writers will be featured in the the Shawano Leader newspaper.

    In 2002, SAW started the Shawano County Student Writing Contest.  The contest was open to all children between the ages 6 and through high school.  There is no fee to enter the contest.  That first year SAW received 92 entries and we raised 300 dollars, $270 going toward the cash prizes.  The judges were from the Green Bay Area Writers group and they selected 18 winners.  On April 20, 2002, an awards presentation was held at the Shawano City-County library and the winning students were given certificates of achievements and $20 for First place, $15 for Second place, and $10 for third.

    In 2003, SAW received 336 entries in the Shawano County Student Writing Contest.  We raised $490, $448 going toward the cash prizes.  The judges this year were from the Fox Valley Writers Club and they selected 24 cash winners and 10 Honorable Mentions.  All of the 34 winning students received a certificate of achievement and First place $27, Second place $17, and Third place $12.  Each of the honored students also received a copy of "One World, One Heart," by Susan Polis Schutz.  The Awards Presentation was held on April 26, 2003 at the Shawano City-County library.  Before the presentation, SAW president, John J. Mutter, Jr., gave a short talk about Olga Huchins.  Ms. Huchins is credited with inspiring Rachel Carson to write, "Silent Spring."

    In 2004, SAW received 171 entries in the Shawano County Student Writing Contest. WOW, Writers of Wausau did the judging for us this year. WOW selected 26 entries for the $492 we raised. They also selected 14 Honorable Mentions. The Awards Presentation was held on April 24th in the Community Center room at Shawano City Hall. All 40 students received a certificate of achievement. The cash prizes were the same as last year, $27 for 1st, $17 for 2nd and $12 for 3rd. In addition, the three first place poetry winners received an autographed book of poetry by Burnette Mutter, entitled, "The Hobo Poet". Each of the 40 honored students also received a copy of "The Writer" and "Tools for Success", from Kalmbach Publishing of Waukesha, WI. The guest speaker for this year's event was Barbara Vroman, who teaches writing at the Rhinelander School of Arts and the Clearing in Door County, and is the author of four books. Her newly released book is entitled, "Small Celebrations".

    In 2005, SAW received 201 entries in the Shawano County Student Writing Contest. This year the judges were the Writers at the Portage, from Portage, WI. They picked 27 cash winners and 20 Honorable Mentions. Because all categories were filled this year, SAW gave out $504 in cash prizes. SAW raised the money for the cash awards by submitting quarterly material to the Shawano Leader. SAW's quarterly submissions appeared in the ACCENT Section of the Leader on June 20, 2004, September 26, 2004, December 26, 2004 and April 3, 2005. First Place received $27, Second $17 and Third got $12. All 47 students were given a Certificate of Achievement. All of the winning students were given a copy of the Writer's Digest magazine. The 27 cash winners also received a copy of the book, "According to Matthew," by Marcie Leitzke and the Honorable Mentions received a copy of the book, "Evidence of Love," by Larry Leitzke. This year the certificates were made up by Camin Potts of Graphic Liaisons of Waupaca, WI. Graphic Liaisons does Desktop Publishing, Design, Illustration, Typesetting, Editing and Proofreading for writers and business. John Mutter, Jr., talked about some of his experiences as a freelance writer. He stressed to all present that writing takes a lot of determination. He dedicated his talk to the memory of Samantha Smith. After the awards were handed out, seven students volunteered to read their winning entry.

    The world of writing is sometimes a lonely place. We know all too well the hours involved in putting an article, story, poem or letter together and sending it off to a publication. We also understand that not all writers want to write for publication. Some just want to record their life story. Being a member of a writing group can be very beneficial in striving to become a better writer. It can also help you get your name out to others within the State of Wisconsin. That's important, if you want people to learn who you are and what you are writing. As a member of the Shawano Area Writers, I encourage you to come to our meetings, learn and grow with us and become part of the history of this fine organization.

Common Student Mistakes

    During the first two years of the Shawano County Student Writing Contest, the following are a list of common mistakes that the students made on their entries.

• Not putting the title of the work on the pages after the first page.
• Not numbering the pages beyond the first page.
• Having two poems on one page.  (They should be on separate pages).
• Forgetting to indicate the end of the work, by writing "The End" or ###.
• Forgetting to indicate the school they are attending, or if they are home schooled.
• Manuscript too long.  (Fiction and Nonfiction stories should be no longer than 1,000 words).
• Writer's name on more than one page.  (Writer's name must only appear on the first page).
• Misspelled words.
• Entry received after deadline.  (If the deadline is March 15th, post mark can be no later than that date).
• Fiction and Nonfiction stories single spaced.  (Fiction and Nonfiction should always be double spaced).
• Student forgot to list their age.

    To help students and teachers with the rules for the Shawano Student Writing Contest, we have listed the rules below.  It is important to note that when the judges are having trouble selecting a winner from two entries, they are instructed to see if the students have followed directions for the rules of the contest.  So it's important to follow the rules.

Rules for the 2008 Shawano/Menominee County Student Writing Contest

1. Each entry must have a title.

2. There will be three categories:  Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry.  A student may submit an entry to all three of the categories, one entry for Nonfiction, one for Fiction, and up to two poems.  Nonfiction and Fiction entries should be no longer than 1,000 words each.  Poems - one per page.

3. There will be three age groups, ages 6 through 10; ages 11 through 14 and ages 15 and up (High School Students).  There will be three prizes for each writing category, within each age group.  There is the possibility of 27-cash and certificate awards to be given away, depending on how much money can be raised by the Shawano Area Writers, and if there are entries in all categories.

4. Entries should be on only one side of white paper and double spaced in typing, or computer generated pages.  Please - no fancy print (some of it is hard to read).  Hand printed entries will be accepted as long as they are neat and legible.

5. Spelling is very important, students should make sure that words are spelled correctly.

6. In the upper right-hand corner of the first page, the following information should appear:  Student's name, age, Student's school, and what category the entry is for.  The title should be centered on the first page above the start of the story or poem.  Pages following the first page should only have the title and the page number at the top right of the page.  Students' name should not be listed on pages after the first page.  At the end of your entry put, "The End."

7. Students must not copy something that someone else has written, they must submit their own work.

8. Judges for this contest will be from outside Shawano/Menominee County.

9. Students should not send the original of their written work.  Please send a copy of whatever you are submitting, as entries will not be returned.  Always keep your original.

10. There is no entry fee and submissions must be sent to John Mutter, Jr., N2787 McDonald Road, Shawano, WI. 54166, Contest deadline is March 3, 2008,  (entries postmarked on March 3rd will be accepted).

11. The winners will be notified by mail, by phone, or through their school and will receive their prize at an award's presentation scheduled for 10:00 a.m., on April 5, 2008 at the Mielke Arts Center in Shawano.

12. For questions regarding this contest, please call (715) 524-4520.

13. This contest has been funded and promoted by the Shawano Area Writers.

14. GOOD LUCK!