The People’s Choice winner, “Leftover Destiny,” a poem written by Shruti Natal, received the most online reader votes via the Libraries Short Stories website during the contest. Natal, a third-year student from India studying industrial engineering at Penn State University Park, said her inspiration came from a Carl Sagan quote, and that “Despite it being out of control, human life and destiny is complex and worthy of appreciation.”
The student Editorial Board is comprised of eight students under the leadership of a Short Edition Editorial Board intern, most recently Ashton Zillhardt, who held the post for three years before graduating in May. In addition to leading the Editorial Board, many of Zillhardt’s submissions have earned Honorable Mentions in past writing contests.
The Libraries Short Stories Editorial Board winners, chosen by the all-student editorial team and listed alphabetically by title, are:
Honorable mentions, chosen by the all-student editorial team, are:
Penn State University Libraries’ Short Edition short story dispensers are now at five of its Commonwealth Campus library locations, including, John D. Vairo Library at Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Harrisburg Library, Berks Thun Library and John M. Lilley Library at Penn State Behrend. With its placement this semester of five additional short story dispensers, the University Libraries now has 10 short story dispensers University-wide, including one with community partner Schlow Centre Region Library, making it both the first and largest university partner with Short Edition worldwide.
Penn State University Libraries’ partnership with Schlow Centre Region Library in downtown State College will expand starting Nov. 1, when its Short Edition short story reading collaboration is extended to local-resident writers.
Centre County writers of original short fiction and poetry will be able to submit their creative works through the Libraries Short Stories website, psu.short-edition.com. Their submissions also may be considered for distribution through the Libraries’ four Short Edition short story dispensers on Penn State’s University Park campus, as well as its fifth dispenser in Schlow Library’s adult services department.