Danaejah Bell and Elise Lurix, both members of the Class of 2024, have been named two of the top 12 winners of the ASAP! 17th annual Celebration of Young Writers In June, they will share their submitted works at the Spring Hill Arts Gathering Festival. 

Bell will read her submission, “False Kinghood,” while Lurix will share her work, “Bittersweet.” 

The ASAP! Celebration of Young Writers “empowers students to share their love of writing with the world,” according to the organization’s website. Poetry and prose submissions are accepted from students across Connecticut in public and private schools, as well as homeschooled. Winners work with an orator and read their piece in front of a live audience. 

Lurix’s story details an aunt and niece going to the ocean. The aunt’s sister passed away, so the aunt, despite disliking the shore, brought her niece to the water in memory of her sister. It’s reflective of Lurix’s own life in the sense that her mother and sister both love the ocean, but something with which Lurix has “a love-hate relationship.” 

“I used my real-life experiences to make the piece more realistic,” Lurix said. “I think everything a writer does connects somehow with who we are what we have been through. Even if it is made up, there is truth. That’s what makes writing powerful.” 

Lurix is looking forward to listening to the works of the other winners and sharing her story with her family for the first time. “I think it will be a great learning experience and help me feel more confident in my writing abilities…. I believe June 17 will be the start of a great writing journey for me. It is a big passion of mine, and I can’t wait to meet others who share it.”