REGIONAL TEENS WRITE, ALL RIGHT ! INDIE POP, FRENCH STYLE, AT THE PAC

concert has a summery twist: it’s presented in the outdoor courtyard on the downtown/fountain side of the PAC to take advantage of the beautiful weather.

High-school-age writers from all over North Central Washington tested their literary skills by submitting stories to the 12th Annual Teen Short Fiction Competition, co-sponsored by Write On The River and NCW Libraries.

The submitting writers were in grades 9-12 throughout Chelan, Douglas, Okanogan, Grant and Ferry counties. “This was the best turnout we’ve ever had,” said coordinator Jessica Lynch of the annual spring competition. “And there was a lot of variety in the themes and styles.”

The organizers are happy to announce the winners of the 2023 competition. Librarians from around the region and members of the Teen Library Council judged the competitive entries and chose these three students to share the $200 cash award for their original writing:

First Place: Jadyn Matson, a homeschooled sophomore from Chelan, for “Over the Edge of the World.” Honorable Mention: Jada Wood, a freshman at Cashmere High School, for “Helios.” Honorable Mention: Isabel Menna, a junior at Cascade High School, for “Lost Princess Found: A Story of Resurrection.” The first two submissions were fantasy fiction; the third was historical fiction.

New York Times best-selling author Chelsea Cain, after visiting Wenatchee as a 2011 Write On The River Conference keynote speaker, initiated and continues to sponsor the annual competition.

Go to writeontheriver.org or ncwlibraries.org soon to learn more about these teen writers and to read their winning entries.

Husbands, an innovative band formed in France in 2011, has toured in Europe and across America, bringing a fresh perspective to the indie pop genre, and you can hear them in Wenatchee this month. A rising force in the French Indie scene, they have a loyal following and their support band, Plastic Picnic, brings, according to Billboard magazine, “Catchy, danceable beats paired with melancholy lyricism and shimmery melodies.”

Part of the Numerica Performing Art Center’s Black Box Concert Series, this July

The three Husbands — Matthew Poulin, Yannick Dangin Leconte, and Simon “Tells” Henner — draw their music from ‘80s pop and ‘90s alternative rock. They released a well-received debut album, “Golden Year” in 2014 and “After the Gold Rush Hour” in 2017, with more electronic sounds and a sleeker production style. Their music has been featured in several popular TV shows and films, including “Shameless,” “New Girl,” and “Love, Simon.”

Husbands performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Numerica Performing Arts Center, 123 North Wenatchee Avenue. Tickets start at $24 at numericapac.org