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Senior poet ranks high in poetry contests, receives national recognition

by barnik saha, staff writer

Senior Krista Oehlke won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, sponsored by Peggy Turlington, seventh grade literature teacher. Over 140,000 works of art are entered into the contest from students who are in ninth through twelfth grades. Gold and Silver Keys recognize extraordinary achievements. The awards have been given to famous artists and authors, such as: Truman Capote, Joyce Maynard, Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath, and Andy Warhol.

“I’ve wanted to win this contest for a couple years now, so it’s a wonderful thing to be recognized finally, as a senior,” Krista said. “In the writing world, it’s known for being the probably one of the most prestigious writing contest.”

Gold Key panelists in New York City now can review Krista’s poetry for national recognition and send her work to renowned authors, poets, publishers, and other literary arts professionals.

The poems that won a Scholastic Gold Key are about Krista’s life. The poetry collection is titled “Girl.” It consists of four prose poems: “At the Farm,” “Tortilla Moon,” “I Want a Broken Arm Wrapped in a Blue Cast,” and “Palms, Psalms.”
Krista has received recognition in three other contests: The National Federation of State Poetry Societies Manningham Trust Student Awards, The Broken Bridge Poetry Prize, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Awards.

Krista won at state level for the NFSPS’s Manningham Trust Student Awards. She finds the results on May 5. If she wins, she will receive national distinction, an award, and publication.

Krista was among finalists for the Broken Bridge Poetry Prize contest. There were 450 submissions; of those 450, 10 were finalists. She will be published in the Broken Bridge Review.

In addition to all of these, Krista earned first place in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Awards for her short story, “Louise Bourgeois,” submitted through Montage. Krista discovered her talent for writing in the second grade. Her love of reading, writing, and listening to stories. In the third grade, Krista entered a school-wide poetry contest, suggested by her teacher, which she won. Soon after that, she entered a Texas state competition which she also won.

“When I moved to Canada (I was six), I skipped a grade – so I was behind on a lot of things,” Krista said. “But in writing, I wasn’t. I think that’s when I realized that there was something there.”