Enizagam

Congratulations to Kiki Whang and Nikia Chaney, who were chosen by Daniel Handler and Nikki Giovanni as the winners of the 2012 Enizagam Literary Awards in Poetry and Fiction!

Of Kiki’s short story, Daniel Handler writes: “Cucarachero” is one of those stories that works like a trap. I wandered into the first paragraphs, charmed and intrigued, and then, curiouser and curiouser, fell deeper and deeper in, and not until the story was over did I have a real appreciation for how smart the thing is, how wise about people so unwise, how careful and yet how instinctually the whole thing is put together. This is the kind of thing I always want to read.

Of selecting Nikia as the poetry winner, Nikki Giovanni writes: “What a difficult job you handed me. These poems are extraordinary. Wonderful. Beautiful. Difficult. If I must choose, and I have agreed to do so, my number one is “the fish.” What power this poem has with showing the difficulty of growing up with a terrible secret. What a powerful song this friend sings for a friend drowning in if not evil, then certainly, difficulty.”

Ms. Giovanni and Mr. Handler had these kind words for OSA (the urban charter school whose award-winning faculty authors and hardworking students staff Enizagam):

“I applaud the poets who are just beginning their journey into their inner selves. The world waits your questions and wisdom.” – Nikki Giovanni

“I’m supposed to write something great about Oakland School For The Arts but, yikes and zikes, clatter bang boom, they write well enough themselves. And paint and perform and make things and show them to everyone etc etc etc. They don’t need a few nice sentences from me. They’re going to come roaring out of that place running all of us over. They’re the new thing, the next thing, and the best thing we can all do is take cover.” - Daniel Handler

2012 Finalists are:

Poetry
Jodie Childers, for “Elegy for the Hills” and other poems.
Amir Rabiyah, for “Orb of Ash” and other poems.

Fiction
Dena Afrasiabi, for “The Scientist.”
Murli Melwani, for “Hawana of the East.”

Enizagam’s staff is grateful to the many skilled writers – from India, Japan, Canada and the U.S. – who given us the opportunity to read their work; to our gracious celebrity judges; and to everyone else who comes together each year to make Enizagam a dazzling literary collection. Writers: we urge you to enter the 2013 contest (judges TBD). Our staff received many stunning works, which might have placed in the contest, via the general submissions process.

Congratulations to Jendi Reiter and Laura Shearer, who were selected by Bob Butler and Michelle Tea as the winners of the 2011 Enizagam Literary Awards in Poetry and Fiction!

Of Jendi’s short story, “Five Assignments and a Mistake,” Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler writes: “In her winning piece, Jendi Reiter shows some of the rarest and most essential talents of a literary writer:  a natural, free-associating, compelling narrative voice; a deep rootedness in the sensual world; and a gift for metaphor that is not only fresh and vivid but resonates organically into the wholeness of the story.  Ms. Reiter is a fine writer whose work I look forward to following closely.”

Of Laura’s poems, “Lonely Car,” “Jimmy Triffin,” “Will Not Mend,” “You Better Know By Now” and “Childless,” acclaimed author Michelle Tea writes: “Laura Shearer’s stark, compact poems leave room for big lonely to come in, the poet writing as much with the spaces in between as with the words chosen, hard, wistful words, country words. All together they sprawl like some tall sky punched with sad, tough clouds. If you read them once you want to read them again, and again, their feeling growing. A beautiful, spooky creation.”

Michelle and Bob had these kind words to say about OSA:

“What better thing can there be than OSA? What better than a place that lets young artists be artists, that sees them as they are – noble, lucky, special- and urges them deeper into their very own selves, and through these magic, creative selves, out into the world. I wish every kid could go to such a great place. OSA’s existence is living justice, and the students are nothing less than scouts of hope for the rest of us.” - Michelle Tea

“I see Oakland School for the Arts not only as a splendid nurturer of young talent but as an integral part of a truly important cultural phenomenon.  In parlous times like these, when divisiveness and distrust pervade the zeitgeist, more than ever we need artists, whose very job it is to assure us all that the things that divide us are not as important as the human condition we share.  In the creation of new generations of artists, Oakland School for the Arts is not only admirable but deeply necessary.” – Robert Olen Butler

2011 Finalists are:

Poetry

Peter Kahn, for “Sniff,” “An Evening Prayer,” “Lineage,” “It Rhymes With Wilt” and “Sitting Here In.”

Nicholas Kriefall, for “Nostalgia,” “After Hours,” “Long Vacation,” “Neighborhood Watch” and “Night Shift.”

Rae Gouirand, for “High Street,” “Moon Jellies,” “Canoe and Cicadas,” “Sounds” and “Firewood.”

Fiction

Emily Danforth, for “A Ditch; A Channel.”

Cassandra Seltman, for “Never Order the Fish.”

Enizagam’s staff is grateful to the many skilled writers – from India, Japan, Canada and the U.S. – who submitted their work; to our gracious celebrity judges; and to everyone else who came together to make Enizagam 2011 a dazzling collection. Writers: we urge you to enter the 2012 contest, which will be judged by Lemony Snicket (AKA Daniel Handler) and Nikki Giovanni. Our staff received many stunning works, which might have placed in the contest, via the general submissions process.

Enizagam also extends our deepest apologies to Nicholas Kriefall, a Literary Awards 2011 Poetry finalist whose work dazzled the entire staff. We omitted Nick’s bio from the issue. The missing bio:

Nicholas Kriefall: Native to Missouri, Nick is a graduate of the University of Central Missouri where he earned a minor in creative writing. In 2008 and 2009 he was a finalist in the David Baker Poetry Contest. Nick currently lives in St. Louis.

With donations of $25 or more, you can have your submission critiqued by our editorial staff: one award-winning, adult author will examine your work from the traditional writer/publisher’s standpoint. At least one OSA student staff member will also provide comments on your piece/s, complementing the adult critique with a candid, fresh perspective. For more information, see our FAQ page or email questions to: EnizAwards@oakarts.org.

Enizagam is deeply appreciative of Wells Fargo Bank, and of Bay Area businessman Keith Stephenson – founder/owner of Purple Heart Clinic. Together, these strategic philanthropic angels have made the Spring 2011 issue possible.

All gifts to the literary journal support the hardworking young writers at Oakland School for the Arts. For more information on how to give, call 510.919.3203 or send an email to EnizAwards@oakarts.org, with “EnizAngel” as your subject line.