THE ANNUAL THURBER TREAT WRITING CONTEST

2010 Thurber Treat Winners

For this year’s Thurber Treat writing contest we asked local writers to choose a Thurber Cartoon and come up with a new caption and elaborate on the caption with an amusing story.

(From left to right) Christine Hayes, Tom Barlow, Katherine Matthews and Doug Frasca.

Tom Barlow is a Columbus resident and Otterbein graduate. He was the founding director of The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure and also served as the Membership Development Director for the American Motorcyclist Association. He is currently a personal finance journalist with AOL's WalletPop.com, which has over 10 million unique readers per month. His fiction has appeared in journals including Redivider, Temenos, Hobart, The Intergalactic Medicine Show and the Apalachee Review as well as several anthologies including the upcoming Best New Writers 2011.

Caption: "Father deeply regretted suggesting to mother that cooking wasn't rocket science."

Click here for Tom Barlow's story "It's Not Rocket Science."

Doug Frasca is a life long resident of Ohio. He taught Art in Zanesville, Mt. Vernon, and Newark public schools until retiring from teaching after 35 years in 2007.   He and his wife, Karen, will celebrate their 37th anniversary this August and are currently living in Upper Arlington. They have been attending Thurber House picnics with their friends for nearly 20 years.  Doug is enjoying an active retirement developing his own style of wire sculpture and remembering and watching for mystifying and amusing  “Thurber moments” as they occur in real life situations.

Caption: "Her welcome home party was already in progress."

Click here to read Doug Frasca's story "Here Welcome Home Party was Already in Progress."

Christine Hayes - For twelve long years her writing lends The Short North Gazette its twists and bends; At Junctionview her studio grew – She works at Acorn Bookshop too. For the Aldus Society she’s the secretary; As Ramona Moon she’s glue-art cars and statuary. Columbus native, with decades of San Francisco trimming, Her novel’s called A Year of Birds and Swimming. And the Thurber Dog won’t forgive her that she’s awfully fond of the species: CAT.

Caption: "Could be hollandaise on rust!"

Click here to read Christine Hayes' story "A Thurber Dog Thinks These Things Through."

Katherine Matthews, a freelance writer and editor for over 23 years, has written articles for Columbus Monthly and Columbus Bride, book reviews for the Ohioana Quarterly and original radio shows for WCBE 90.5 FM. In addition, Kathy has had a great time teaching both young and adult writers here at Thurber House. She lives in Hilliard with her husband, Doug, and their three teenage kids, and is currently working on several book projects.  She would like to thank her husband for providing inspiration for this story…but only in word, not in deed.

Caption: "It's Getting Hot in Here. Who Left the Window Open Again?"

Click here to read Katherine Matthews' story "It's Getting Hot in Here. Who Left the Window Open Again?"