2025 Writing Contest Winners Named
Below are the winners of our 2025 student creative writing contest. Thanks to the GCC Foundation for funding the contest and to the judges: Kari Klemme, DeeAnn Eller, Mariah Partanen, Karen Ball, Steve Spets, John Austin, Dr. Jennifer Sabourin, Leah Hagen, Gillian Van Treese, Matt Gage, and Jared Evans. Questions about past or future contests can be sent to the contest coordinator, Cynthia Brandon-Slocum.
Fiction
- First Place: “Tulikettu” by Kristin Aho
- Second Place: “Cathedral” by Ryan Dennis
- Third Place: “194, 702” by Dillon Madden
Creative Nonfiction
- First Place: “The Funeral” by Kailin Aho
- Second Place: “My Favorite Centenarian” by Joanna Datto
- Third Place: “I Laughed” by Morgan Burger
Poetry
- First Place: “Dear Window” by Alyssa Stenersen
- Second Place: “Envious that I Am” by Miah Billie
- Third Place: “Affliction” by Alexandra Bulter-Ehle
Read the winning pieces, the writers’ bios, and the comments from our judges below. Click on the title to read the winning piece.
FICTION
First Place: “Tulikettu” by Kristin Aho
Kristin Aho lives in Calumet, MI and plans to study Forestry and Biology while at Gogebic Community
College. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and taking her dogs on long
walks.
Judges’ comments:
- This story is beautifully written. The imagery is rich and immediately drew me in. The ethical dilemma you introduce creates genuine tension and leaves the reader curious about what the hunter will do, very well done. -Karen Ball
- Great conclusion that ties the story together well. The writer did an excellent job telling a detailed story that spanned a year, in just a handful of pages. Very well written! -Mariah Partanen
- I enjoy the use of nature elements while emphasizing the theme of human’s naive over disruption of its balance. Steve Spets
Second Place: “Cathedral” by Ryan Dennis
Hi my name is Ryan Dennis! I have a passion for the arts, history, and the Gothic. I spend most of my creativity in the performing arts but have a massive soft spot for poetry and literature.
Judges' comments:
- The piece is highly descriptive and engaging, drawing me in and prompting curiosity about how it would unfold. -Karen Ball
- Beautifully written. The imagery in the story is greatly detailed and the story flows well. The writer does a remarkable job detailing the emotional aspects and sense of longing in the story. -Mariah Partanen
- The imagery is incredibly vivid, direct, and easy to follow. The setting and character descriptions were captured wonderfully. -Steve Spets
Third Place: “194,702” by Dillon Madden
Dillon Haven Madden moved to the UP in 2022 but was born on Fort Hood in Texas both sides of his family have military background. He enjoys writing poetry with a fond love for the darker side of life that oftentimes gets overlooked. His poetry urges to wake its readers to the negative sides of life, history, and mental health to his readers.
Judges' Comments:
- It's so important to continue telling these stories and remind people of the devastation of the Holocaust. Your format was interesting and you could feel the misery as the days progressed. -Karen Ball
- Strong start of the story that pulls the reader in. I love the format of this story! The journal entries followed by the detailed excerpt at the end work well together. The dedication to the Holocaust is a powerful conclusion to the story. -Mariah Partanen
- I enjoy the unique format allowing to follow the story and character transition clearly. Also, for a short story, it has a good, in-depth portrayal of a dark time in history. -Steve Spets
CREATIVE NONFICTION
First Place: “The Funeral” by Kailin Aho
Kailin Aho currently lives in Chicago, IL while she attends Mortuary School. Her piece "The Funeral" follows her experience with loss, something which later in life, inspired her to become a funeral director herself. When she's not busy with work, she enjoys listening to music, journaling, and exploring the city.
Judges' Comments:
- This story was relatable and real to many. It was well-written and offered good imagery. The reader can feel what the author feels. -DeeAnn Eller
- Having gone to a few funerals this year, the imagery in this writing brought me right back. I have not yet had to be on the receiving end of the line of guests, and I don’t look forward to it, especially after feeling all the feels from this. So deep, so heavy, yet a part of everyone’s life. -Kari Klemme
- This was another story that it was easy to feel a part of. The language used by the author was very descriptive and really does well to depict the uneasy setting of a funeral. -Matthew Gage
- Great use of metaphors and similes while capturing the emotions of such an emotional moment. -Jared Evans
Second Place: “My Favorite Centenarian” by Joanna Datto
Joanna Datto is a business and accounting student at GCC. She’s creative, community-minded, and always looking for ways to make things a little better for the people around her.
Judges Comments:
- This was so heartwarming and a great life lesson! I love how they became unexpected friends even though the author fought the relationship. Working in a nursing home for over 10 years left a soft spot in my heart for the elderly that this reached. –Kari Klemme
- This essay related to me specifically because I grew up with neighbors that were more like grandparents, always spending time there. I think the author does a good job of describing the initial feeling of “uneasiness” but also does great showing what that interaction led to, a beautiful relationship. -Matthew Gage
- Excellent job portraying relationships. The work has a nice "slice of life" feel to it. -Jared Evans
Third Place: “I Laughed” by Morgan Burger
Morgan Burger is 25 years old from Bronson, Michigan, a small town in the Michigan-Indiana border. She moved to the Keweenaw with her boyfriend three years ago and they have been here ever since. She loves to crochet, play video games, and write. She mostly enjoys writing creative non-fiction about my life and the lives of those around her.
Judges’ Comments:
- The story was dark, descriptive, and detailed. I think others in similar situations could relate to it. –DeeAnn Eller
- This piece demonstrates a powerful ability to express the intensity of both present regret and past fear/sadness, almost simultaneously, and in a condensed, powerful scene. The use of framing with the apology for laughing works well at building the shift in emotion through the piece, and the explicit, as well as subtle, listing works well at building that emotion. Very intense. Very cool. -Gillian Van Treese
POETRY
First Place: “Dear Window” by Alyssa Stenersen
Alyssa Stenersen lives in Atlantic Mine, MI and plans to attend UW-Superior to study General Psychology and study further to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. She is married, has five children, and in her free time enjoys nature.
Judges' Comments:
- Ooo, I liked that. The author gave life and meaning to an inanimate object that holds so many truths in what the author wrote. The happenings inside and outside of the house are all what is seen and heard. I liked how that author continued to bring back their interaction or impact -Dr. Jennifer Sabourin
- It's patient personification of the material thing which performs, by its own will or so it seems, the vital function of giving the eyes a place to learn and know and feel-- and the correlative action of the window seeing in, the world seeing in as if it has eyes of its own-- is really quite powerful. Reading this, it's hard to argue that the window is not an animate object. [Window-- hybrid compound of Germanic 'vind' (=wind) and Latinate 'oeil' (=eye )]. -John Austin
- I loved this idea of the window always watching as things change within your life. This personification worked so well! The window, steady and unbothered by the changing world around is a reminder of how quickly the seasons change within our own lives. -Leah Hagen
Second Place: “Envious that I Am” by Miah Billie
Miah Billie is an early college student; this is her last year at GCC. She plans on studying creative writing next fall. Aside from writing, Miah enjoys reading, film, and walking with her dog.
Judges’ Comments:
- This poem starts off by allowing the reader to fly with the birds through the mountains and the flowers. But then the story turns to reality of survival, and although we may want to be free like the birds in this world, that it is a wish of flight and freedom versus a wish of their life. -Dr. Jennifer Sabourin
- The vivid imagery and descriptive nature was beautiful. The comparison and wish to
sometimes view life more simplistically is very relatable. The ending brought it back
full circle to the birds fragility and simple need to survive bringing the reader back to earth with an appreciation for one’s own life. -Leah Hagen
Third Place: “Affliction” by Alexandra Bulter-Ehle
Alexandra Butler-Ehle lives in Houghton County. She enjoys various forms of media as well as spending time daydreaming.
Judges’ Comments:
- That one was a deep one. The author takes you back and forth through the batter that some folks face everyday with themselves and the world. While reading this piece, I felt that the person knows where the safety blanket is but yet knows that they shouldn’t remain there and that there is a possibility of comfort on the other side…someday. -Dr. Jennifer Sabourin
- This captured so many relatable feelings. The reality and weight of anxiety was palpable. Such a strong message of the very real impact of leaving your comfort zone, still not always feeling safe despite knowing that you are. It was quite vulnerable yet served as a reminder to keep pushing through and to not consumed by the dark/negative thoughts and feelings. -Leah Hagen
