Congratulations to the 2022 winners!

We’re please to announce this year’s winners! We hope you’ll join us to celebrate them at a reception on November 29 at 6pm. Their winning works will be uploaded onto this website soon, and we will also reveal who our judges were this year.

The Verdi L. Tripp Fiction Award: Jim Mentink for “The Seminar”
Fiction Honorable Mention: Lorelei Greenwood-Jones for “Candy House”
Margaret F. Tripp Poetry Award: David Sloan for “Solo”
Poetry Honorable Mention: Cynthia Larson for “Perhaps to Dream”
Richard F. Snow Nonfiction Award: Nancy Browne for “Ricky Rivers”
Nonfiction Honorable Mention: John Reinhart for “Traveling by Platypus”
The Crowbait Short Play Award: Greg Simpson for “3 Hail Mary’s”
Short Play Honorable Mention: Fred Cheney for “Danced to the Fiddle”
TPL Teen Fiction Award: Charlotte Schatz for “To Lend a Hand”
TPL Kids Poetry Award: Luisa Feliciano for “Crow”

Joy of the Pen News!

Hi everyone,

Hope you’re busy writing and getting ready for when we open submissions in September! We thought we’d keep you updated on some Joy of the Pen news.

This year, the Maine-related Nonfiction category will be retired. We’re extremely thankful to Nancy Randolph and Just Write Books for supporting us over the years and we wish them the best of luck in all future projects. Nonfiction writers need not panic, the general nonfiction award, the Richard F. Snow Award, will still open for submissions.

We are also announcing this year a new award! The Crowbait Award will be looking for 10-minute plays, and is sponsored by The Crowbait Club! We’re excited to see what this new chapter brings, and we’re so happy to welcome The Crowbait Club aboard!

Literary Journal Now Updated!

The Joy of the Pen Literary Journal is now updated for 2020! Congratulations to the winners and a huge thank you to the participants for taking part and our sponsors for supporting us again this year. We’re looking forward to seeing you all at out special reception in the summer!

Joy of the Pen News

All of the work is now with the judges for review with a deadline of November 14. We will announce the winners soon after. Thank you to all that entered this year!

After careful consideration and discussion, and a review of online awards, the library has decided that we will postpone the Joy of the Pen reception until the summer. What we envision is an outside celebration, possibly a tea party, that will celebrate the winners of all our joys this year: Joy of Art, Joy of the Lens and Joy of the Pen. Of course, you are all invited! We hope it will give us all something to look forward to throughout the winter months.