• Stouffville’s first-ever Ekphrastic Writing Contest challenged participants to create poetry or prose inspired by artwork featured in the Latcham Art Centre’s 2026 Juried Exhibition.
  • Winners in the prose category were Mary Ann McKenzie (first), Karen Lee Boulton (second), and Kaireen Adamson (third).
  • The poetry competition was won by Mary Findlater and Barb Wride in a tie for first, with Julia Khen placing third.
  • The contest was organized by the Inklings Adult Writing Group, a volunteer-run community writing group that meets every second Wednesday at the Stouffville Library.
  • Group member Johnny Wideman said the name “Inklings” pays tribute to the famous literary circle that included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, who met regularly to share and discuss their writing.
  • Organizers say one of the highlights was bringing writers and visual artists together, with the artists attending the awards ceremony to hear the winning works inspired by their creations.

 

A new literary competition in Stouffville has successfully brought together writers and visual artists in a unique celebration of creativity.

The town’s first Ekphrastic Writing Contest, organized by the Inklings Adult Writing Group in partnership with the Latcham Art Centre, challenged participants to create poetry or prose inspired by works featured in the centre’s 2026 Juried Exhibition.

“To our knowledge, it’s the first…in Stouffville,” said Johnny Wideman of the Inklings group. “It’s an ekphrastic writing contest, which basically is a literary art form that derives its inspiration from other art forms.”

Participants were invited to choose one of four artworks and write up to 500 words in either poetry or prose. The selected works included Urn by Carlos Fentanes, Erupting Volcanoes, Frozen Waterfalls, Our Future by Feng Zhou, La Reine de la Patate by Nancy R. Chalut, and Looking and Melting by Lisa Sanders.

In the prose category, first place went to Mary Ann McKenzie for her work inspired by Urn by Carlos Fentanes. Karen Lee Boulton placed second, also inspired by Urn, while Kaireen Adamson earned third place for a piece inspired by La Reine de la Patate.

The poetry category featured a tie for first place. Mary Findlater won for a poem inspired by Urn, while Barb Wride shared top honours for a piece based on Looking and Melting. Julia Khen finished third with a poem inspired by Erupting Volcanoes, Frozen Waterfalls.

Submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges with backgrounds in writing, publishing, journalism, and communications. The panel included Elise Abram of Thornhill, an author, editor, and founder of EMSA Publishing; James Dewar of Uxbridge, a novelist, poet, and writing mentor; Daemon Fairless of Stouffville, an award-winning investigative journalist, podcast producer, and author; and Glenn Jackson of Stouffville, the Town’s communications manager and editorial lead for On the Road magazine.

The winners were announced during a Sept. 23 awards ceremony at the Stouffvilles Library, where the artists whose work inspired the entries were invited to hear the winning pieces read aloud.

“It was very cool for the artists to be able to hear the works inspired by their paintings,” Wideman said. “It was a really cool thing to just see literary artists, poets, writers, and visual artists gathered in the same space and talking to each other.”

The contest grew out of the Inklings Adult Writing Group, a free community writing workshop that meets every second Wednesday at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library.

Wideman said the group’s name pays tribute to the famous literary circle known as the Inklings, whose members included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

“They called themselves the Inklings, and they met at a pub every week,” Wideman said. “It’s kind of an homage to that.”

The local group welcomes writers of all experience levels and follows the philosophy that anyone who writes can call themselves a writer.

Membership fluctuates throughout the year, with participants gathering to respond to writing prompts, share their work, and offer constructive feedback in what Wideman describes as a supportive and encouraging environment.

The inaugural contest was entirely volunteer-led and supported by local sponsors. Cash prizes were provided by Ramani Real Estate, while additional prizes and gifts were donated by Foxglove Books, Frances and Meyer, Growtown, Timber Creek, Reesor’s Farm Market, and other community partners.

Following the success of the inaugural event, organizers say they hope to bring the contest back next year.

For Wideman, the contest demonstrated the power of connecting different artistic communities.

“It was a really exciting atmosphere,” he said. “To see writers and visual artists inspiring each other and sharing their work together was something special.”