Sauk Valley Community College student Nara Hardesty has won first place for the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award for the 21st annual Illinois Emerging Writers Competition.

The honor recognizes original literary talent and seeks creative writers in the state of Illinois, specifically those 18 years of age and older. Hardesty is in their second year at Sauk and is working toward an Associate in Arts degree, majoring in English.

The award is named after the late, award-winning poet and Illinois Poet Laureate, Gwendolyn Brooks. SVCC’s Learning Commons sponsored Hardesty’s entry after winning an honorable mention in the campus-wide poetry contest for Poetry Month with a poem titled “After the Gun Fight.” National Poetry Month is celebrated every April, honoring poets and their achievements.

Hardesty’s submission to the Emerging Writers Competition was a poem titled “Apple Blossoms,” an 881-word poem that explores themes of grief and is dedicated to their late mother.

“I didn’t think anything would come of [submitting the poem], but it did,” Hardesty said. “And that’s pretty cool. I like writing poetry. It’s a good outlet.”

Contest winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on Dec. 10 in Chicago. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte will be in attendance, as well as the second- and third-place winners. Poets will read their piece aloud at the ceremony. Winners will also receive a cash prize and be considered for possible publication in three Illinois literary magazines: Bluestem Magazine, Ninth Letter and RHINO Poetry.

The SVCC Learning Commons supports students in their academic and personal goals. Students interested in writing, whether it is for personal, professional, or academic purposes, can turn to the Learning Commons Writing Center for feedback and assistance on their work.

“I was very, very happy that Sauk gave me the opportunity through the Writing Center to engage with a writing contest on a small scale that still felt like a big deal,” Hardesty said.