A Rockport native has won the Playboy College Fiction contest — one of the oldest and most prestigious of its kind — and her work is published in the October issue of Playboy magazine.
According to Playboy spokesman Steve Mazeika, Rockport native and Boston College alumna Meaghan Mulholland won the 2010 Playboy College Fiction Contest for her short story, "Woman, Fire and the Sea," a tale of multiple misunderstandings set on the French Riviera.
As a reward for her writing, Mulholland, a recent Masters of Fine Arts degree recipient from the University of Arkansas, received a $3,000 prize in addition to having her story published in the magazine, which hit newsstands Sept. 17.
Mulholland's work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in The Colorado Review, National Geographic Traveler, Washington Flyer, and Southwest Airlines' Spirit Magazine, among other publications.
Her awards include a Creative Writing Fulbright Fellowship to Italy, along with top rankings in several other fiction contests. She recently completed a novel, set in Sicily, about a puppeteer whose struggle to save his family's theater is complicated by the arrival of a grieving niece from America.
The College Fiction Contest draws submissions from colleges and universities all over the world. It is open to all registered students with no age limits. Past winners have gone on to publishing success after the contest gave them a first chance at professional publication in a national magazine.
Submissions for the 2011 College Fiction Contest are being accepted now through Feb. 15, 2011.
Free concert at Shalin Liu
As part of Rockport Music's community outreach programming, pianist Jon Lee will bring the colorful Russian folk tale of the mythical phoenix to life in a special piano arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's "Firebird."
According to Rockport Music spokesman Gregg Sorensen, Salem State University professor Dirk Hillyer will offer "special insights into the music and history of the work, which took the music world by storm in 1910."
The free public lecture and concert celebrates the piece's 100th anniversary on Monday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, 37 Main St., Rockport.
No tickets or advanced reservations are required; seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis.
Quick hits
Rockport merchants and gallery owners are being encouraged to attend a Planning Board discussion specifically geared to their particular business interests on Thursday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m., in the Brenner Room at Rockport Public Library. Those wishing to attend may receive discussion questions in advance by calling Planning Board Chairwoman Barbara Sparks at 978-546-9098.
The American Legion Post 98 will hold a bake sale on Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Whistlestop Mall. Home-baked beans will be available with many other home-made goods. Items for the sale should be brought to the mall by 8:30 that morning. The sale is to benefit the day trip that brings hospitalized vets from Bedford and Chelsea to Rockport.
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport will be holding a fall fund-raiser on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Church member Judy O'Malley said the day will begin at Harvey Park, located at the corner of Broadway and Mt. Pleasant Street, with face painting and pumpkin painting, a 50/50 raffle, silent auction, chowder, cider, a bake sale, "and lots more fun for all ages," from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A "relaxing evening" will follow from 7 to 9 p.m. with an art sale and dessert and coffee, accompanied by acoustic guitar music.
People in the news
Britta E. (Pierson) Cahoon received a juris doctor degree cum laude from New England Law Boston during commencement ceremonies at the Citi Performing Arts Center (formerly the Wang Theatre) on May 28.
Cahoon is the daughter of Amy and David Pierson. She is a 2001 graduate of Rockport High School and a 2006 graduate of Salem State College.
At this year's commencement, 292 juris doctor degrees were awarded. John T. Broderick Jr., chief justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, delivered the commencement address.
Rockport Ramblings is compiled each week by reporter Jonathan L'Ecuyer. If you have a Rockport news tip or an item for Ramblings, contact him at 978-283-7000 x3451, or jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
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