WOODLAND, CA (MPG) - The Yolo County Library, in collaboration with the Yolo County Library Foundation and Stories on Stage Davis, is hosting a short story writing contest open to 9th–12th grade students in Yolo County. This contest is free to enter. The winning student will be awarded $100 and will have the opportunity to have their story read at an author event scheduled for Saturday, April 13th, 2024, at the Veterans Memorial Theatre in Davis.

This year's theme for the contest is magical realism. Judges are seeking narratives that incorporate magical elements within a real-world context (excluding fantasy) with a maximum word limit of 2,000 words. The deadline for contest submissions is January 20, 2024, at 11 p.m. To submit a story or to learn more information about the contest, please visit www.YoloCounty.org/Contest.

The chosen theme for the contest is drawn from the novel “The House that Spoke,” authored by Zuni Chopra during her teenage years. In this novel, the house and its objects possess sentience, and the protagonist, 15-year-old Zoon, must harness a magical power within herself to protect them from a dark, malevolent presence in the world.

Zuni Chopra, a 22-year-old Indian author with four published works, released her initial poetry collection at the age of 9 and her debut novel, “The House That Spoke,” at 15. She is particularly fascinated by magical realism, exploring the boundaries between reality and imagination. Among her favorite authors are Neil Gaiman, Madeline Miller, T.S. Eliot, and Lewis Carroll. Currently pursuing a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at Stanford University, Chopra will personally select the contest’s winner from the finalists. Discover more about Chopra and her literary endeavors on her website at: www.zunichopra.in/.

For additional details, please visit the Library’s website at www.YoloCountyLibrary.org or you can also find Stories on Stage Davis at www.StoriesOnStageDavis.com. Stories on Stage Davis is a fiscally sponsored project of YoloArts and is backed by the 2022 City of Davis Arts Grant.