Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists Announced

Cook Castle, the venue where the winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest will be announced.
Cook Castle is the home of Jeff Cook, of the famous Fort Payne music group Alabama.
Photo by Cook Castle Events.

The winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest will be announced May 10 during the Lookout 2013 summit at Cook Castle. Lookout 2013 will celebrate the Lookout Mountain region's potential and launch Lookout Alabama magazine. The judges for the competition were very pleased with the five finalists, who are listed below in alphabetical order next to their short story title. The first place winner's story will be published here on SELTI in May and in the first print edition of Lookout Alabama magazine in June, which will be distributed throughout the Southeast.

Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest Finalists 

(in alphabetical order)

Shawn Blankenship for "Coming Home"

Natalie Cone for "The Totem"

Melonie A. McClenden-King for "Udowhi Odalv (Beautiful Mountain)"

Dedra Tuten for "Mountain Memories"

Neal Wooten for "Canyon Casanova"

One of these finalists will be declared the winner of the Lookout Alabama SELTI Writing Contest and receive the 2013 SELTI Tourism Fiction Award. Many thanks go out to everyone who entered this year's writing contest. Lookout Alabama magazine plans to publish more of the finalists' stories in future editions of the magazine.