Pikes Peak Writers' American Icon Event

Last Friday evening I attended Pikes Peak Writers' American Icon event and worked at the registration desk. At this annual super-fun evening event, contestants have two minutes to read from their work of fiction or non-fiction. A panel of three celebrity judges then gives on-the-spot feedback to the contestant. At the end of the night, the audience votes for an Audience Favorite and the judges panel awards prizes in various categories.

A cash bar and a dessert buffet and lots of literary friends set a festive mood for this celebration of writing talent in the Pikes Peak region. You can see a photo of that scrumptious dessert buffet below.



The next four photos are of contestants and attendees socializing before the reading competition got underway.






The next photo is of my registration partner, DeAnna Knippling, and me at the check-in desk.



The next photo shows all of the contestants after the readings were completed, destressed and having fun after their nail-biting moments on stage. The one after that shows the winners of various categories. Prizes included a free night at the Marriott hotel, which hosted the event, for the Audience Favorite winner Michael Shepherd. They also included partial manuscript reads & critiques by agents and editors, local bookstore gift certificates, and a query letter and pitch critique by yours truly.




The last photo shows the hard-working event organizers, Barb Nickless and Maria Faulconer, flanking the judges panel. The judges were:

Ange Tysdal, Agent at AKA Literary
Carolyn Sobczak, Editor at Fulcrum Publishing
Teri Cartwright, Writer and Producer



Last but not least, M.B. Parlow was the timekeeper and cowbell ringer, keeping everyone on schedule, and author Jodi Anderson was the emcee for the evening, keeping everyone in stitches. We had a stellar cast of writers who read from their works, and I'm sure the judges had a hard time picking the winners. What a fun event! I can't wait for next year's American Icon.