IPage 48-Thursday, September 7, 1978-The Michigan Daily You too can be a writer 0 . By JUNE LOEFFLER I can't even remember when I first heard mention of the Hopwoods. Chan- ce mention by a counselor at orien- tation, or an English TA? It might have been an article in The Daily. But memories of a time when Hopwood deadlines didn't rule my life have faded into oblivion, especially during those last few frenzied days of re-writing and polishing phrases that always precede the magic hour when a manuscript is submitted, in triplicate, each copy in its properly punched paper folder. Yet there is nothing menacing about the Hopwoods, the creative writing awards granted each year to deserving University students, once you familiarize yourself with the regulations and deadlines, and those, in the tradition of all great traditions, do not change. AN UNWITTING English teacher, in my final term of a high school advanced comp. class made the mistake of scrib- bling across the bottom of one of my papers, "June, you have an exceptional talent with words." Visions of novels and Nobel prizes began to haunt me, and by the time I reached the Univer- sity, my case was quite advanced. It was during this period that I first en- countered that elusive laurel,'Hopwood. I've spent the two years since then entering virtually every Hopwood con- test I have stumbled upon. The first - ah, the bittersweet memories of that first time - was the Freshman Essay contest. The deadline fell fast upon the heels of Thanksgiving break. A Great Books essay my TA had particularly admired, a few hours bent over my keyboard, fingers tapping out the melody of the Muses . .. but alas, all for naught. THE PASSAGE of a few short weeks brought my first rejection, the form let- ter I was to come to know and dread so well, "All entries in the contests have been carefully read and judged, and the winners of awards have been notified by mail. Though your entry has not won Hopwood hunt 114 E. Washington Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 (313) 665-3231 Downtown Welcome To U of M We have been the campus favorite for the past 16 years for good food at modest prices. Great entertainment every Friday and Saturday for an evening of fun. * Daily 'All You Can Eat" Specials " Pizza-Italian and American Foods * Beer-Wine--Liquor-Entertainment p CLIP AND SAVE COUPON 3 COUPON FREE COVER ; $1.00 OFF CHARGE ANY LARGE PIZZA an award, the committee ap- preciates ..." Somehow I managed to salve my wounded ego. It was, after all, only a contest, any freshperson in a writing course could enter. Besides, perhaps my writing talents lay in other fields, like fiction or poetry. The Freshman Essay contest isn't the only Hopwood in the sea. The opening days of December also brought the deadline for the Under- classmen Awards. Open to any fresh- person or sophomore in a composition course, its categories included fiction and poetry as well as essay. This time it was fiction. ANOTHER DEFEAT. But youth is not easily discouraged. Yet one more contest remained to be entered - the Minor Hopwood Awards. Competition is considerably stiffer - all undergrads can enter and drama is added to the categories. I pulled my first bona fide all-nighter in pursuit of Hopwood fame. Desk lit- tered with half-full cups of coffee gone cold, the clean neatly-typed pile of papers representing the final manuscript, not-so-neat lines scratched and written over, the frantic race with the clock, the trip to the copiers . . . then only the waiting remains. Let it suffice to say that my record remained intact. HOPWOOD AWARDS are also given for the Spring/Summer term and there is a winter Freshman Essay award for those who weren't eligible fall term because they had put off taking the required English course. I was not eligible for those, and had to wait until the fall to take on my adversary, Hop- wood, again. December rolled around and I duly submitted a manuscript for the Underclassmen Awards. I won. I won. I read the letter twice to assure myself, but the"words did not change. I won. And on January 18, I sat in the Rackham Amphitheatre, clad in a jumper borrowed especially for the occasion. Professor John Aldridge, chairman of the Hopwood Committee, announced the poetry and essay win- ners and finally, fiction . . . "June Loeffler, L.S.A. sophomore, $150 for Sunday Mornings ..." A speech by some literary personage of note invariably follows the announ- cements. Last April it was Tom Wolfe, of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test fame and even in defeat, the awards ceremonies are interesting to those with aspirations toward writing. AND WINNING.. . the cash is han- dy, but it's the recognition, knowing, finally, that someone else believes in you too. . . that's what is important. All of this was made possible through the generous heart of Avery Hopwood, a 1905 University graduate, who went to New York and found fame and fortune writing Broadway plays. Upon his death he willed over $300,000 to the University to be used as annual awards in a contest to be known as "The Avery Hopwood and Jule Hopwood Prizes" in creative writing. The first award was given in 1931, and since then over $500,000 has been awarded in various sums ranging from $50 to $3,000. There is even a door in Angell Hall behind which lies the Hopwood Room. The Hopwood Library is housed there, along with the manuscripts of all the past Hopwood winners (Arthur Miller was one) and a vast collection of literary magazines and books of essays and criticisms - everything a writer could want. HILDA BONHAM, the Hopwood Committee's assistant, is ever willing and ready to answer questions about the contests and if by chance you wan- der into the room on a Thursday after- noon between 3 and 5 p.m., you will find yourself surrounded by cookies, tea, coffee and other hungry young writers -what better way to spend a cozy fall or winter afternoon? Yes, it is true, Just like they say on the back of matchbooks and in the movie magazine ads, with talent, a lot of work and perhaps a bit of luck - You too can become a writer. 1 A ngeio's FAMOUS FOR OUR RESTAURANT HOME-MADE BREAD ' BEST BREAKFASTS IN TOWN (Try the waffles!) "~ " SANDWICHES SALADS * DINNERS * SEAFOOD " CARRY-OUT SERVICE-668-9538 Corner of East Ann & Glen (short walk from Med. Center) 1 Expires Dec. 31, 1978 mm. mm. mm mm mm... mm mm mm a VALID SUN. THRU THURS-. Expires Dec. 31, 1978 f Daily Photo by JOHN KNOX ... thrill of victory (short walk from Med Center) ,, --".... r i ':1 " J / / 1 !