Category Archives: Writing Contests

Poetry Contest/ #50 PRECIOUS WORDS/

2023 Kids’ Choice KidLit Writing Contest Prize

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Nonfiction Narrative of a true navigator-Eleanor Creesy was the first navigator to sail a new supply route around Cape Horn and set a speed record that none could beat/ Excerpt from Navigating Stormy Seas/ (Sing to the Wellerman’s Tune)

In 1851, the clipper ship Flying Cloud raced from New York to San Francisco in just 89 days, 21 hours.

During the California Gold Rush, fortunes were made or lost in sleek clipper ships. The route often took more than a hundred days. But in 1851, the Flying Cloud carried $50,000 worth of cargo from New York to San Francisco around the tip of South America in record-breaking time under the command of Josiah Perkins Creesy Jr. and his wife and navigator Eleanor Creesy. Two years later, they broke their own record by 13 hours, a record that still stands.
The Daring Navigator of the Flying Cloud: The Eleanor Creesy Story by RL Brown

The Flying Cloud’s a clipper ship, 
with billowing sails of canvas white,
Filled to the brim, we catch the wind
weather foul or fair- huh

Heave ho and aweigh we go,
bring the sugar and hopes of gold.
Heave ho and away we go,
We’re bound for Californ-i-O.

Five hundred tons, she's weighted down,
yet the race is on to blaze a trail
The captain’s eye is bent t’ward speed
We sail with’a sailor's prayer. Huh

Heave ho and aweigh we go,
bring the coffee and pans for gold.
Heave ho and aweigh we go
We’re bound for Californ-i-O.

Two saboteurs tried to sink the ship
By drilling holes in the beams below
But the first mate heard a handy tip
And took those villains down.

Heave ho and aweigh we go,
We fight against both wind and men.
Heave ho and aweigh we go,
we’re bound for Californ-i-O.

The best navigator on the sea.
plotting a course that none could beat.
Eleanor Creesy set the pace,
long, long ago- huh.

Heave ho and aweigh we go,
sugar, coffee, and tools for gold.
Heave ho and aweigh we go,
we’re bound for Californ-i-O.

https://timeandnavigation.si.edu/navigating-at-sea/us-goes-to-sea/early-contributions/meet-the-navigator

The Clipper Ship Flying Cloud
Josiah Perkins Creesy, Jr. commanded the ship, and, uncommon for the time, his wife Eleanor navigated. As a child in Massachusetts, she had learned navigation skills from her seafaring father.
Credit: The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Read Out Loud-Never!

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Entry for 1st Annual Kids Choice Kidlit Writing Contest 2022/ (Max -WC 200)

All the Henderson children read, except one, Rex.
Read Out Loud-Never!
by RL Brown


Rex Henderson hated to read out loud. 
	Words-
	slipped – 
	tripped –
	skipped-
	over his tongue 
	like jabbering 
	gibberish.   

Flustered, Rex snapped the book shut. He spluttered,
	“My brain hurts. 
	My eyes won’t work. 
	Why do letters move?” 

The letters giggled. 
	 “Who’s that?” Rex demanded. 

Memes crawled out and stood on top of the book. He dressed like a sailor- colorful bandana, baggy pants, checked shirt.
	“I’m here to be your first mate,” said Memes. “We letters are an ornery lot. Yet, we need a Captain to guide us on our way.”

	“Me, be Captain-of these letters- 
	they're never still, always-
	flipping,
        flopping, 
	hopping, 
	and swopping.” 

	“Sound out their name, they’ll snap too…b, d, c, f, g, ha, speak up h, …” 
Rex joined in, calling each consonant by name.
	“These vowels are a rascally bunch,” Rex complained. 
	“Vowels flow here and there. Practice, you’ll get their names.” Memes smiled.

Memes handed Rex a script. 
	“Read aloud-Never!” 
	“You’re their captain,” Memes told Rex. 

	“Laugh and I’ll knock you off the page,” Rex warned his crew.
Captain Rex read out loud. and the letters snapped-to. 
 
Why do letters move?
Not today!

His words
     slipped – 
     tripped –
     skipped-
     over his tongue 
     like jabbering 
      gibberish. 

Her words 
       slid in 
       seamless 
       syllables 
      of streaming 
      sounds. 
#HaikuSaturday, #haiku 
(excerpt from 'Eyes of a Dyslexic' by RLBrown
The Eyes of a Dyslexic Child By RL Brown (WC 190)

WIP/

2021 Fall Writing Frenzy

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The Last Harvest by RL Brown

Wind rustles the leaves. 
Trees shimmer yawning deeply, 
Anticipation.

Autumn equinox,
the balance of light and dark,
time juncture converts. 

Turn your face eastward.
Fall moon on the horizon
blazing golden hues.

Extravagant colors!
A migratory birds last song.
Light wanes for evening.

Nature splendor yields 
a harvest of abundance, 
Thankfulness expressed. 

Inner autumn calls,
time to embrace season’s change.
The wind howls for rest.

Light narrows yet shines.
Truth displayed for all to see, 
God’s bountiful grace. 

Rapture of the church 
The last harvest, winter comes.
Weary souls find rest.
Fall- Credit: Julia Solonina / Unsplash

The Eyes of a Dyslexic Child By RL Brown (WC 190)

1 Reply 
My brain hurts.
My eyes won’t work.
I can’t read anymore.
Why do letters move?
Be still, so I can read you.			
The letters whisper-
Don’t give up.

Jumbled Words.
Letters flip and flop. 
Then they jump and hop.
Why do letters move?
Be still, so I can see you.
The letters whisper. 
Say my name.

Grumbled Sounds,
And mumbled tones, 
Never sounding the same.
WHY do letters move?
Be still, so I can hear you.
The letters whisper-
Blend the sounds.


Teacher, Teacher!
The letters are moving!
Oh, no, that’s in your head.
Why do letters move?
Be still, YOU!
The letters whisper-
Concentrate. 

Taking Test
Orally, I’m best.
Squiggley scribbly letters  
Why do letters move?
Be still, so I can write you.
The letters whisper-
Yes, you can. 

Read aloud!
Nervous mistakes,			
Makes my insides quake. 
Why do letters move?
Be still, don't laugh.
The letters shout. 
Keep going. 

Every day,
my teacher says,
“You’re reading better today!”
“Why did letters move?”
Not anymore! 
I shout, hooray!
I’m reading today. 

Rex hated to read aloud. Words skipped, tripped and stumbled over his tongue like jabbering gibberish. Flustered, Rex stopped.

Susie loved to read aloud. Her words slid in seamless syllables of streaming sounds. Her correctness rattled Rex. 
 
Susie closed the book. Torrents of confusion ceased; his heart sank in horrible comparison.  Susie can read and he cannot. 

Rex wished he could slash words off all the pages. Then there would be no more letters picking at his brain. The pages would be as silent as quiet rain.

(WIP)
Photo by mentatdgt on Pexels.com

Autumn Breeze by RLBrown

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Snuggled in a blanket, 
thick socks warm my toes. 
Hot latte melts my insides. 
Fall breeze tickles my nose. 
Achoo

Hay bales decorate storefronts 
with scarecrows and pumpkins. 
Overalls adorn with autumn hues, 
there sit two country bumpkins.
 Achoo-ACHOO!

It’s a crisp autumn day, 
lacking yesterday's heat. 
Local parade opens fair season,
Now is time for a delicious treat.  
ACHOO - Achoo- ACH...

A visit to the pumpkin patch 
on a sunny afternoon, 
thick with particulates 
no one is immune.
Achoo, Achoo, and ACHOO!

The Harvest Moon engulfs the sky, 
with reddish orange glow.
Cinnamon spice perfumes the air.
“Caw ,” cries a very scary crow.
Achoo, ACHOO 

Slow down and take the time
to make a pot of savory stew.
Breathe in and enjoy the season
even with a sneeze or two.
Achoo

Autumn Breeze by RL Brown October 2020

Snuggled in a blanket, thick socks warm my toes, a hot latte melts my insides, and a fall breeze tickles my nose. Achoo!
Hay bales decorate storefronts with scarecrows and pumpkins, adorn with autumn hues. It’s a typically crisp autumn day, lacking the humidity and heat of yesterday. ACHOO – Achoo.
A visit to the pumpkin patch on a sunny afternoon, thick with particulates and allergens visibly floating in the air. Achoo, Achoo, and ACHOO!
The Harvest Moon fills the evening sky, the horizon allowing only the yellow, orange, and red hues to filter through – Achoo, ACHOO!
The smell of cinnamon and spices and a warm pot of stew remind me of fall and winter coming soon. Achoo!
The Harvest Moon disappears for another year as the fall wind blows the dust away and brings fresh, clean air. Time to slow down, look around, and breathe in this fall season, even with a sneeze or two.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is fallfrenzy.png

#50PRECIOUSWORDS 2021 is Officially OPEN!

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Fairytale Fishing / A Haiku (WC 49) written by RL Brown

Excerpt from My Grand is an Alien

Acrylic Pointing by RL Brown
No buckets, no boats, 
And no carrying large totes,
Just Grandpa and me. 

A pole in each hand
Grasshoppers by the pond bank.
Gramps catches our bait.

A nibble, a tug.
Feel the line, ignore the bug.
wait- then jerk the hook-

A flip-flopping, splash, 
reeling in a big fat bass.  
Update (4/12/2022)