Laura Nussdorf, freshman, wins 1st place in Read One Write One Writing Contest

One Book One New Orleans, a project of New Orleans' Young Leadership Council, recently announced the winner of the Read One Write One contest, and it is St. Martin's freshman, Laura Nussdorf. This year's contest was inspired by the community book, Gumbo Tales by Sarah Roahen. Students from around the New Orleans area were encouraged to write their own chapter for the book (thus the "Read One Write One" title). Laura's entry into the contest was entitled "Crawfish Tales" and explored the ways she and her family, transplants to New Orleans from Louisville, KY, have adapted to the local food culture. In her writing, Laura acknowledges that food gives her a sense of place and belonging, and that New Orleans' food culture anchors her here. Sarah Roahen had this to say of Laura's work: "This essay was not only extremely well-written, but Laura used humor at the perfect moments (and not too much of it) to engage the reader. The humor also keeps her sympathetic to the reader -- keeps her from sounding snooty while insulting Louisville. She is a keen observer of human behavior and a fine writer, employing the show-don't-tell principle of writing throughout the essay. Bravo, and keep it up!" Laura's prize, $600, is sponsored by Shell.
2010 Read One Write One
One Book One New Orleans