Contest Results
Fall, 2018: After considering the many wonderful submissions we received, the International Writing Program (IWP) and Between the Lines (BTL) are beyond excited to announce the winners of our BTL Alumni Writing Contest. Over 60 of our 300 + alumni sent in their poetry and prose. We were lucky to have had the chance to read their exciting work.
It is with pleasure that we announce our two winners: Zain-Minkah Murdock (BTL ’17, U.S.) and Yazan Omari (BTL ’14, Jordan).
Of Zain’s poetry, guest judge, novelist, and IWP Fall Resident Amara Nicole Okolo (Nigeria '18) said: “I absolutely loved Zain's poetry. It had a voice from the beginning, and was easy-flowing. The language is pure, there is no hesitation or pretense . . . Everything was just as it should be.”
When describing Yazan’s poetry and prose, guest judge, fiction writer, journalist, and IWP Fall Resident Eman AlYousuf (U.A.E. '18) wrote: “Brilliant in both poetry and prose, [and] great use of all writers' tools. [Yazan] is good at writing about both intimate human existential issues and world issues.”
In addition to having their work published on our website (read it below!), Zain and Yazan joined the IWP's Fall Residency trip to Washington, D.C., on November 1-3, 2018. Their travel, lodging, and meals were paid for by the IWP in collaboration with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
We also congratulate our six contest finalists: Doha El Jerrari (BTL ’18, Morocco), Ekaterina Filonova (BTL ’13, Russia), Isabella Jibilian (BTL ’13, U.S.), Alena Piksaeva (BTL ’14, Russia), Caitlin Plathe (BTL’13, U.S.), and Rand Safi (BTL ’08, Palestinian Territories). Their luminous, moving work is published below as well.
Finally, a well-deserved congratulations is in order to ALL our applicants; we received outstanding work and were hard-pressed to choose finalists and winners.
We also thank our judges, 2018 IWP Fall Residents Amara Nicole Okolo (Nigeria), Kateryna Babkina (Ukraine), Salah Badis (Algeria), Eman AlYousuf (U.A.E.), Chandramohan Sathyanathan (India), and Iva Pezuashvili (Georgia), as well as IWP Editor Nataša Ďurovičová, for the time and care they put into reading and considering every submission.
This contest is supported by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
Contest Winners
American Winner
Zain Murdock (BTL '17, U.S.) strongly believes in James Baldwin, New York pizza, em-dashes, BTS, her succulent Alex, and--most importantly--love. She also believes that literature acts as both a mirror and a window into the human condition. The 18-year old Jamaican-American poet plans to major in Creative Writing at Columbia University
International Winner
Yazan Omari (BTL ’14, Jordan) is a poet and a doctor-to-be. Having writing as his passion and medicine as his profession has given him a lot of perspective and understanding about human nature and behavior. He enjoys sports, especially ping pong and swimming, and has trophies in both. His goal is to be happy: he believes that whatever you do and become, inner peace is the main reason for your life. His code of conduct is the first sentence of the Hippocratic oath: “Do no harm.”
Finalists
Doha El Jerrari (BTL ’18, Morocco) is a seventeen year old Moroccan writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Her previous works include translations of educational local high school movies, alongside a dozen short stories and a novel in the making. She aspires to make writing her life path through self-discipline and hard work.
Ekaterina Filonova (BTL ’13, Russia) is 24 years old and is currently getting a Master’s Degree at N.A. Dobrolubov State Linguistic University in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, where she is also working as an English teacher. In 2013, Ekaterina took part in Between the Lines, and it changed her life.
Isabella Jibilian is a journalist for the Peninsula Press, where she covers the housing crisis in California. She is currently pursuing a M.A. in Journalism at Stanford University, where she completed a B.A. in International Relations in 2018. She is from a small beach town in Connecticut, and developed a love for magical realism after reading Haruki Murakami's 1Q84
Alena Piksaeva (BTL ’14, Russia) currently is enrolled in a double major program (Dutch culture and Literature and Eastern Europe studies) at Charles University in Prague and works at an international reinsurance company. She participated in Between the Lines 2014 and has attended several literary conferences since then. She just finished her first novel.
Caitlin Plathe (BTL’13, U.S.) is currently in her last semester as an English major at the University of Iowa. She has been a self-proclaimed poet since her BTL experience in 2013, and has one self-published book titled I Am No Plath. She loves cats, unrhymed poetry, and laughing at way too many of her own jokes.
Rand Safi (BTL ’08, Palestinian Territories) is currently working to implement a youth technology program with Mercy Corps and Gaza Sky Geeks. She has an MBA from Biriet University in Palestine. Rand was a participant of BTL 2008, and feels blessed to have had that opportunity. Reading and writing are her passions; she believes that writing is an act of delivering messages from hearts to other hearts beyond boundaries. Rand never sleeps without a book near her bed.
Contest Details
[Contest submission period has closed.]
Past participants in the International Writing Program’s (IWP) Between the Lines (BTL) sessions are invited to submit their prose or poems for a chance at publication on the IWP website and the opportunity to travel and participate in upcoming IWP events! This contest is supported by funds from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
The top five submissions will be published on the IWP/BTL website. Of these five, one top American winner and one top international winner will be chosen. Both the American winner and the international winner will join the Fall Residency trip to Washington, D.C., taking place November 1-3, 2018; travel, lodging, and meals will be paid for by the IWP in collaboration with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The top two winners will also give a virtual presentation on their writing contest experiences at the following summer’s (2019) BTL session.
Contest Guidelines
- Who: 2008-2018 Alumni of Between the Lines (excludes participants in 2016 BTL “Silk Routes” and 2017 BTL “Identity and Belonging” – if uncertain of eligibility, please email: btlalumni-contest@uiowa.edu)
- What: Works of prose or poetry in any language – no longer than 10 pages total
- Deadline: August 31, 2018
- Format: Double-spaced, 12-point font, as a PDF or Word document, with name and contact email at the top of your submission
- Submit: By email to btlalumni-contest@uiowa.edu
Please also answer the following in a separate document, with name and contact email at the top, and email it along with your writing submission:
- What Between the Lines session did you participate in, and what year?
- Have you pursued creative writing since BTL, and if so, in what ways? (100 words max)
- How has BTL impacted your writing and literary life? (250-500 words)
- How has BTL impacted the way you think about your identity, and how you interact with others in the world? (250-500 words)
Participants are encouraged to submit in any language; please indicate which language you’re using in the body of your email. Submissions can include any number or combination of poems, short stories, or essays, so long as the total number of pages does not exceed 10.
Submitting work to the Between the Lines Alumni Writing Contest grants International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa permission to use these materials for IWP and BTL social media, publicity, and grant reporting.
Winners will be announced via email the first week of October.