I settled into an armchair not long ago to read some of the entries in our annual call-out for Colorado Voices. It’s something like the “American Idol” competition, except there’s no makeup and no record contract.
Our quest is to identify writers who will make Colorado come alive by bringing a fresh eye on all manner of issues and idiosyncracies to these pages. We look for creative folks with a knack for storytelling.
More than 500 readers submitted sample columns this year. We gathered a small group of Post colleagues and readers who agreed to serve as judge and jury. They read until they had beans coming out of their ears. They sifted and winnowed, laughed and groaned, and made the hard choices that got it down to 140.
A second jury brought the group to 20, and we present them to you today, in mugshots and thumbnail biographies. We’re confident they will provide a stream of engaging commentary over the next 12 months.
The Voices column is probably not the right place to look for an angry rebuke of the Law of the Seas Treaty or a ringing endorsement of the federal Value Added Tax. Colorado Voices are more likely to write from their personal experience, weaving opinion and observations together into a pundit’s porridge. Judging from our entries, over the next 12 months, you’re likely to hear about these sorts of things:
Bumper sticker theology on Interstate 25.
To a Colorado reservist, supporting our troops is something more – considerably more – than lip service.
An insider’s iconoclastic view of all things Boulder. Fair warning, Ward.
A Coloradan’s surprise conversion to the Catholic Church.
A glimpse or two (or three) at Western water use, regional water policy, local water politics. Steel yourself for an appreciation of the Colorado River headwaters, and a wholehearted endorsement of interbasin negotiations.
We hope you’ll come to think of these voices as your new neighbors. They come to us from places like Grand Junction, Grand Lake and Hot Sulphur Springs. From Thornton, Fort Collins and Wellington. From Louisville, Littleton and London (yes, that London – for now). And of course from Denver.
You will find four students in the lineup, and one Voice is probably as old as all of them combined. The 2005-06 Voices are presented proudly in the space below. See if you can spot the one who once was a finalist in a Redbook fiction contest. Tip to our male readers: Redbook isn’t red, and it isn’t a book.
Jonathan Wolman is editor of the editorial page.
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Ernesto Alvarado, Thornton
This retired educator, former school psychologist and mental health administrator for Denver General started out as a migrant worker. He is of Mexican-Apache ancestry and attends Native-American gatherings year round.
Michelle Ancell, Aurora
A fourth-generation Coloradan, Ancell is a part-time communications specialist for the Cherry Creek School system and is half Irish, half Mexican. “Growing up, I’d sometimes hear my classmates talk about ‘those Mexicans,”‘ she says. “I’d remind them that I was Mexican. ‘Oh, we don’t mean you!’ they’d say.”
Amanda Cherry, Boulder
Life is currently full of changes for Amanda, who just got a new job, as a development coordinator for the Boulder Valley School District. She’s also planning her wedding. “Being twentysomething sucks. And it’s kind of cool, too.”
Kathryn Chinn, Grand Junction
This staff writer for Grand Junction High School’s Orange and Black student newspaper sent us pieces on the No Child Left Behind Act and a new library in town. She has traveled extensively, she said. “My world view differs from that of most adults.”
Sandra Dorr, Grand Junction
Sandra brings a lifetime of writing experience to Colorado Voices. She’s worked as a writer for more than 30 years, including teaching the craft at Portland State University and Washington State University- Vancouver. She now runs a writing workshop and Women’s Wilderness Writing retreats in Colorado and Oregon.
Stephen Gould, Denver
Gould spent 16 years on a self-mentored research program – during which he found himself living for two years in a homeless shelter. That led to a position on the Governance Board of the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative for 10 years. He currently is a member of the Denver Commission to End Homelessness.
Joel Hughes, Littleton
Joel’s childhood home was filled with reading material, he says. “Not novels, not biographies, not tabloids. Just newspapers and the Good Book.” As an undergrad, he was a reporter for the Yale Daily News. He currently is a financial analyst and bank manager.
Paul Johnson, Grand Lake
Paul has pumped gas in Downieville and jerked root beer at the A&W at Sloans Lake. He spent most of his career teaching English literature to learning-disabled students in the Widefield School District. He renovates old houses, and currently is senior vice president for a software company.
Michael Koenigs, Denver
Michael is a Regis Jesuit High School senior who wants to “make the world of Colorado teenagers a little less mysterious to worried parents.” He’s editor-in-chief of Regis’ school newspaper, Raider Review, and will be heading to Harvard in the fall.
Sarah Kuiken, Windsor
Currently studying at in London, where she writes editorials for the Richmond University Times, Sarah will be heading back to Colorado this month to work for awhile before resuming her studies in her home country. She was a member of the All State Choir in 2003 and 2004.
George McClure, Fort Collins
This former commercial real estate broker and stand-up comic now is general manager of a Denver marketing firm. He’s reluctant to admit to his comedic past because people are “disappointed if I’m not funny all the time.” (His contest entries didn’t disappoint us.)
Mark Moe, Denver
Mark is retiring in May, after 31 years of teaching English and literature at Metro State College and in the Cherry Creek School District. His entries showed a range of interests: One was on the philosopher Socrates; the other was about Maggie, the springer spaniel who changed his mind about being a cat person.
Larry Pozner, Denver
Larry is a criminal defense lawyer who has spent 20 years teaching law, and has written a book on cross-examination. “It sells fewer copies in a year than John Grisham sells in a week,” he said. “Make that in a weekend. At Wal-Mart.”
Chuck Reyman, Denver
Chuck is a communications and marketing executive with a decade of teaching college-level communications as well as American literature. He has served as communications executive for the American Heart Association and as director of public relations for Centura Health.
Tess Riley, Hot Sulphur Springs
A former children’s librarian, this full-time homemaker currently home schools her two youngest children. Her husband, a former police investigator, is currently working in Iraq training police officers for the Department of Defense.
Karen Sbrockey, Denver
Karen is a former teacher in Fort Lupton and Denver Public Schools. She enrolled in a writing class at Metro State College in 1984 and her first story, based on a character sketch of her Aunt Rosie, was a finalist in the Redbook fiction contest. She knew she was onto something when Aunt Rosie asked her “who those people were, really.”
Eric Schuck, Wellington
“I’m not one of those liberal college professors you keep reading about,” Eric told us. “Too often, the general public seems to forget that being a college professor is a job.” He is a professor of economics at CSU, and an officer in the Navy Reserve.
Emily Spearman, Louisville
“I have been interested in writing for The Denver Post since I was 6 years old,” Emily says. The Fairview High School junior is on the staff of The Royal Banner, her school paper, and wants to write about “school budgets, civil rights of all types, and the great fun of being a liberal Christian.”
Louise Turnbull, Denver
At 87, Louise is our senior member of this year’s panel, and promises to provide the wisdom that comes with a lot of living. Among her hobbies are “learning to be a better typist.” If you saw her entry, typed on a manual typewriter and dotted with white-out, you’d agree with her. But her voice shines through.
Ann Zimmerman, Idaho Springs
This maintenance electrician at Coors Brewery and grandmother has been a high school English teacher , college literature instructor, electrical training coordinator and hard rock miner. She’s been published in several magazines, including Colorado Outdoors, Highlights for Children, Parent Life and Rocky Mountain Sports.
