Destination: USA

A Gay Old Time

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By sethmerkinmorokoff | Views [126] | Scholarship Entry

Certain circles of Las Vegas teenagers celebrate their birthdays with a trip to Little Darlings—the only 18+ strip club in town. I was not in one of those circles. Yet somehow, during my final summer at home before heading off to college, I found myself ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

The Alaska Railroad - Anchorage/Seward/Anchorage

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By cnd55444 | Views [238] | Scholarship Entry

My father, a Chief in the US Navy, was assigned to Kodiak, Alaska, from December 1955 to July 1959. I was 12 years old when we left there. By the time the Good Friday 1964 earthquake changed the state's topography forever, we were living in Minnesota.... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Kurentovanje

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By saramelanie14 | Views [194] | Scholarship Entry

I emerged from the face painting tent a butterfly. It was the closest thing to a costume I could manage, and my bulky winter coat wasn’t making me feel very festive. Overhead, white yarn criss-crossed the square like a mega game of Cat’s Cradle. The crowd ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Midas' Meadow

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By theblurredline | Views [189] | Scholarship Entry

I have a bad habit of not checking the calendar before I travel somewhere. Call it bad luck, poor planning, inevitability – at any rate, I usually end up someplace popular on a long weekend I wasn’t aware of. The most recent instance had me stuck in traffic ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

My year on the other side of the world

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By foxyroxy | Views [200] | Scholarship Entry

I lived in Pasco during a year. I wasn’t expecting what I discovered when I put my feet on that ground. I thought I would find trees everywhere, maybe with some rain and a lot of mountains. The only thing I guessed right was the mountains. Tri-cities ... Read more >

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Icelandic Invigoration

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By reesantilli | Views [112] | Scholarship Entry

I always take in a big breath of air the second I step into a new city. The August air at Keflavik international is unlike any other. It is crisp and cold, and the perfect remedy to knock out the grogginess from the plane’s recycled oxygen. Immediately, ... Read more >

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Wise Eyes

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By livepeace | Views [153] | Scholarship Entry

Seeker, wanderer, floater, gypsy ... these are terms I’ve used to define my wanderlust. With wide-eyed wonder and a pack on my back, I entered into a relationship with the world outside my hometown, I tasted adventure and I wanted more. I made a commitment ... Read more >

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Physical Brit. Soulful New Yorker.

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By georgianaden | Views [115] | Scholarship Entry

I’ve always felt wronged, that my body and soul were not really meant for one another. I believe I was stitched together in the womb like some sort of Frankenstein and pushed out before all the elements had properly bonded. So I created a story in my ... Read more >

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ESCAPE-ISM

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By wanderingcanuck | Views [123] | Scholarship Entry

Most people do anything they can to avoid prison. I longed for it. I trained for it. And not a run-of-the-mill county jail, not even some barb-wired enclosure fifty miles out of town. I coughed up a premium for the plane ticket. If I waited, I’d back ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Los Angeles' Echo Park

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By elodieq | Views [195] | Scholarship Entry

During my first time in Los Angeles last summer, I was quite content sashaying along Sunset Blvd. I was satisfied with the strips's Hispanic markets, and East LA's posh dog owners. One day, I took a turn down Park Ave, and encountered the stunning Echo ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Photos: Kylie

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By kyliemoore | Photo Gallery

Our Personal Meadow

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By findingsydney | Views [103] | Scholarship Entry

A week crammed in a Toyota Corolla with three other girls and all their camping gear, food and luggage can teach valuable lessons. I learned that chilly week in October that travel has little to do with where you're going and everything to do with who ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

Venice to the Canyon - an accidental 26km trek

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By katewright | Views [239] | Scholarship Entry

Starting from a base of zero expectations of Los Angeles (I’d heard way too many poor peer reviews), and after two days of typical tourist action including an incredibly drab Hop-On-Hop-Off bus ride through downtown LA, I was hanging out for New York ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship

A Grand Hike, A New Self

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By kohleen | Views [292] | Scholarship Entry

The vibrant colors reminded me of azurite-malachite, a blue and green stone that’s said to encourage new perspectives and clear understanding and to bring peace and harmony into your life—so too does the land of the Havasupai tribe, the “people of the ... Read more >

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The Local Key

Wed, 27 May 2015 | By bandolero | Views [214] | Scholarship Entry

In order to earn my stripes as a true-blue, sun-burnt Floridian, I sought the Florida Keys as my destination. Heretofore I was just another suburbanite from a salty town in Florida. The beach was blasé; watersports seemed like work, and my liver refused ... Read more >

Tags: 2015 Writing Scholarship