Summit Sophomore Wins Award In National Poetry Contest

SUMMIT, NJ — Viera Pulver, a Summit resident and sophomore at the local Oak Knoll School, was recently selected as a “Just Poetry!” national winner in the 23rd annual National High School Poetry Contest. The awards were announced last month, during National Poetry Month.

Pulver’s poem “Manipulated Euphoria” — experimental both in content and form — is one of 25 entries to be included in the National Poetry Quarterly in this summer’s edition of “JUST POETRY!!!” and will be eligible for the $500 Best of Issue Scholarship Award.

Dr. Sylvia Skaggs McTague, Oak Knoll Upper School English teacher and adviser to Oak Knoll’s literary magazine, Freestyle, said that she is glad to work with Pulver in Honors English 10 classm where she is an articulate student who sheds light on diverse texts in class.

“Always intellectually curious, Viera has also grown as a writer this year,” said Dr. McTague. “I’m delighted that joining the Lit Mag staff also helped her discover a love for writing poetry.”

Pulver said she joined Freestyle to explore creative writing in a variety of forms. She has also been fascinated with the process of creative writing for a long time.

“Being in Lit Mag has inspired me to experiment when I write,” said Pulver. “Earning this award is very motivating and makes me want to read and write more poetry."

She added, "I plan to continue with Lit Mag throughout high school and hope to continue creative writing in college. I am very inspired by female writers, both past and present, including Louisa May Alcott, Charlotte Bronte, Veronica Roth, J.K Rowling, and Ruta Sepetys.”

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