Essay Contest

1. All essays must be written about one of the assigned topics. 
   
   
2. Essays must be typed, double spaced, and written in 12 point Times New Roman. Entries can be a maximum of 7 pages. All pages should be numbered in the upper right corner. Entries not properly formatted will not be read. 
   
   
3. All submissions must be original to the author and participants must sign a statement of originality.
   
   
4. Participants can enter a maximum of one essay.
   
   
5. Participants will select one of two divisions: WKCTC students or “community”. Students enrolled in WKCTC courses in the spring 2024 semester (this includes dual credit students) will enter the student category. All others (faculty and staff, community members, students not enrolled in dual credit, etc.) will enter the “community” category.
   
   
6. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered for awards.
   
   
7. Entries that cannot be opened due to malfunctioning uploads or incompatible file formats will not be considered for awards.
   
   
8. The writer’s name should not appear anywhere on the submission itself. Submissions that contain the writer’s name will be discarded.
   
   
9. Essays must be received on or before February 14, 2025. These will be uploaded to the WKCTC One Book Read website.
   
   
10. Winners in each category will receive $75 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place. The writers of the winning essays will be contacted via email by the beginning of March and will be invited to attend an opening reception with the author of the 2024-2025 One Book Read, Tori Murden McClure. 
    
    
11. Contact Dr. Kim Russell  for more information.

Please select your essay topic(s) from this list:

1. “You can’t travel the road to wisdom in a feather bed.” McClure suggests that one must endure challenges and discomfort in order to gain wisdom. Describe the variety of challenges and discomforts she faces on her rowing journey (both physical and emotional) and discuss the wisdom she gains from this experience. Focus specifically on her challenges during the rowing trip.
   
   
2. Tori McClure Murden rereads her journal and reflects on her own changes in her self-perception and the façade and walls she has carefully constructed throughout her life. At the end of her reflection, Tori decides to tear out the last pages of her journal and toss it overboard: “For me, it was a consummate act of honesty. I was not even fond of the woman who had left North Carolina with me. It seemed perfectly reasonable to throw her overboard” (p.101). Describe the ways in which Tori has created walls in order to protect herself and created a “façade” or “mask” that disguised her true self and what she tried to hide and avoid. Then compare this to your own experience. Write about a similar experience where you didn’t recognize or like the person you were and chose to throw that old self “overboard.” Discuss that moment and describe the ways it contributed to your personal development.
   
   
3. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness” (Brene Brown). Discuss how this quote relates to McClure’s struggle to vulnerability and the lessons she learns about the importance of being vulnerable. Provide examples the illustrate her changing willingness to allow herself to be vulnerable.
   
   
4. Compare a challenge you have faced that is similar to McClure’s challenge of rowing across the Atlantic (Note: this does NOT have to be a “physical challenge” or an “accomplishment”). What was the challenge you faced? What lessons did you learn in your journey? In what ways was this similar to the journey in the book?
   
   
5. Tori took quite a few books, a wide selection of music, and even portraits of the presidents. Why did she choose these items? If you were to undertake a journey like this, what might you take and why?
   
   
6. For months after the attempt, the author harbored shame for having “failed.” Why do you think she so firmly held this opinion of herself? Relate this experience to a time in which you felt you had failed at something. What did you learn from failure and about failure in general?
   
   
7. What does the title A Pearl in the Storm mean? What is/are the pearls Tori Murden McClure refers to?