Urban Nature: A 500 Word Writing Contest
Carol Samson

On Monday night, May 12, 2008, at the Denver Botanic Gardens, DU students and members of the Denver community read poetry and prose together. The rainy evening seemed appropriate to the spring mood for readings about trees that steal children, about Banyan trees in Indonesia, about bike rides and classrooms and Green Man spirits. David Daniels chaired the evening and, with members of the Botanic Garden staff and the DU Writing Program Curricular committee, awarded year-long memberships to the Gardens to the nights winners. During the evening, the DU Writing Program also honored the three winners of its 500-word Urban Nature contest: Shawn Huelle, Alisha Gucker, and Bonnie Jean Jenkins. Huelles piece, a witty and surreal vision of trees that have their own thieving consciousness won the first place price. Guckers study of a stately Banyan tree maintaining its ancient spiritual presence in the midst of an Indonesian city won second place, and Jenkinss lyric about the bike ride that leads to outward to meanings in nature took third. The spring writing contest drew over 30 entries from DU students and faculty.

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