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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2020)
18 Wednesday, May 6, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon RPA student wins writing prize By Ceili Cornelius Correspondent Al Lehto is the recipient of the inaugural student writ- ing prize from the Waterston Desert Writing Prize com- petition. The winning piece, titled <The Badlands,= reflects Lehto9s passion for storytelling and experiences in the high desert of Central Oregon. Lehto (preferred pro- nouns: they, their, them) is a graduating senior from Redmond Proficiency Academy and will be attend- ing the University of Oregon in the fall to study early edu- cation. Lehto chose to study early education, hopefully teaching in the humanities and literature department, because of the mentors they had in high school. <I had wonderful mentors from RPA and they inspired me to be a mentor and were helpful in assisting me in tak- ing the leap,= Lehto said. Lehto has had many life experiences that led to to find writing as a passion. <I have a true passion for telling stories, it is how I express myself and writ- ing helps me arrange my thoughts,= Lehto said. Lehto was one of a num- ber of young writers who submitted an essay to the contest, including several from Sisters High School. As a graduating senior, Lehto was always on the lookout for scholarship opportunities and would gen- erally gravitate towards writ- ing contests. The Waterston Desert Writing Prize was listed as a contest to enter and they saw it as an oppor- tunity to offer a part of their personal life that other con- tests didn9t accept. The prompt for the student prize was a memoir piece about the high desert. Their rela- tionship with their mother is based off experiences in the desert, so they wrote the piece called <The Badlands.= Lehto9s mother is an artist and would spend most days when she was off work, out in the Central Oregon bad- lands, painting and sketch- ing. When Lehto was young, they resented the desert envi- ronment because they moved from the warm and green valley that was home, and <I had a very flawed view of the desert. But it was my mother9s favorite environ- ment to be in and when I was younger I often didn9t under- stand why she would choose to go out there on her own and be away from family.= I n t h e p i e c e L e h t o describes beginning to under- stand that people need emo- tional support from nature and not just from people, and that the desert was that sup- port for their mother. <I regret the way I treated my mother when I was younger, but as I began to understand her connection to the Badlands and its cre- ated more of a connection between her and I and I am proud of that,= Lehto said. Their mother has now completed a sketched map of the Badlands and continues to paint and sketch out there. It was important to Lehto to write this piece because it was on a <tentative= subject from their life and the rela- tionship with their mother. <I wasn9t sure I wanted to put this piece out there at first because it is so personal and the relationship is flawed and it was a tough time in our life,= Lehto said. They decided to submit the piece with the support of their mother. <My mom is supportive of the success and that is what means the most to me right now,= Lehto said. The Waterston Desert PHOTO PROVIDED Writing Prize9s mission, as stated by their website, <is Al Lehto won the inaugural Waterston Desert Writing Prize student to strengthen and support the competition. literary arts and humanities in the high desert region of the Northwest through recog- nition of literary excellence in nonfiction writing about desert landscapes, through community interaction with the winning authors of the annual prize, and presenta- tions and programs that take place in association with the er ving erving gS Sisters Sis ters S Since in ince ce 196 1 1962 962 541-549-1026 188 W. Sisters Park S Serving prize.= Dr. In Sisters Industrial Park Lehto had a connection to the prompt because they knew it was an opportunity to write about their relationship with their mother, while also still writing about a connec- tion the high desert in which they live. <I generally gravitate towards writing prompts that I have some sort of personal connection to. I enjoy writing with some sort of structure,= Lehto said. Lehto9s writing process is simple: <I write the piece in one swoop after organizing Take Mom on a Scenic Drive… Happy Mother’s Day! DAVIS TIRE See WRITING PRIZE on page 19 Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District Planning a Home Construction or Renovation Project? NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING CCB#148365 Our team believes quality, creativity, and sustainability matter. We want your home to be a work of art worthy of containing your life. — Mike & Jill Dyer, Owners 541-420-8448 dyerconstructionrenovation.com A U T H E N T I C J A PA N E S E , SU S H I , AS AS IAN O Our most t popular l roll is perfect for MOTHER’S DAY TAKEOUT Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Sat. & Sun., 12-3 p.m., 4-8:30 p.m. Closed Monday DOWNTOWN REDMOND, 511 SW 6TH ST. 541-548-3035