EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 28, 2010) -- The six winners of Oregon Quarterly's 11th annual Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest will read their essays on Wednesday, June 2, at the University of Oregon.

The readings will take place at 7 p.m. in the Browsing Room of Knight Library, 1501 Kincaid St. The event is free and open to the public.

The reading will feature "Disappearing Act" by 2010 contest winner Jennifer Meyer, and "Surviving Oregon" by student category winner Kate Degenhardt. Attendees will also hear the second- and third-place winners read from their essays: "Rhythmites" by Adam David Nilsson and "Browntown" by Fred Lorish in the open category; "Slug Love" by Leslie Barnard and "State of Paradox" by Truman Capps in the student category.

Science history writer and former Oregon Quarterly editor Thomas Hager serves as this year's judge and will offer introductory remarks. Hager most recently authored "The Alchemy of Air," about what he describes as "the scientific development that fed the world but fueled the rise of Hitler."

The Northwest Perspectives Essay Contest is an annual competition sponsored by Oregon Quarterly magazine and The Duck Store. The contest, featuring previously unpublished writings about the Northwest, is open to nonfiction writers competing in student and open categories. The winner in the open category will receive $750 and publication in the summer 2010 issue of Oregon Quarterly, which is distributed to nearly 100,000 readers. The student winner will receive $500 and also be published in the summer issue. The second- and third-place writers in both categories will also receive cash prizes.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Joe Mosley, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu

Source: Guy Maynard, 541-346-5048, gmaynard@uoregon.edu

Link: Oregon Quarterly, http://OregonQuarterly.com