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Home Lifestyle First-place chapbook winner fulfills a promise to her late friend
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First-place chapbook winner fulfills a promise to her late friend

By
Ariel Widerburg
-
April 27, 2022
0

Amie Schaeffer, a Salt Lake Community College alumna and Globe staff member, won first place in the 2022 SLCC Publication Center chapbook contest with her poetry book titled “From the Dust of Stars,” a collection of poetry spanning two decades.

"From the Dust of Stars" cover image
SLCC alumna Amie Schaeffer won first place in this year’s chapbook contest for her collection of personal poetry, titled “From the Dust of Stars.” (Cover by Tamra Rachol, SLCC Publication Studies)

Schaeffer, who earned an associate degree in journalism and digital media from the college last year, knew she wanted to write since childhood. Schaeffer frequently wrote poems in response to major life events.

“I don’t write a lot of poetry,” she said. “Only when inspiration strikes me.”

Schaeffer has previously published individual pieces through “Folio,” SLCC’s literary and art magazine, but she never intended to publish her work as a whole collection. However, longtime friend Jeff Metcalf encouraged her to do so whenever she sent him a poem.

“’You need to let these out into the world, let them breathe,’” Schaeffer recalled Metcalf telling her.

Jeff Metcalf wears a goatee, glasses and ball cap
Jeff Metcalf at the Valley High School senior barbecue in June of 1997. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)

Metcalf was Schaeffer’s English teacher when she was 16. He went on to become an award-winning professor, playwright and filmmaker as well as Schaeffer’s mentor and close friend.

“I immediately just loved and bonded with him,” Schaeffer said.

Together, Metcalf and Schaeffer attended writer conferences in Idaho, spending time with poets and writers. Their friendship continued for 25 years.

In 2007, Schaeffer — who had been misdiagnosed with cancer in place of what would be multiple sclerosis — called Metcalf to break the news. Two years later she found out that Metcalf had privately been battling prostate cancer for some time. Metcalf was diagnosed in 2004.

After a long fight with cancer, Metcalf passed away in June 2020. Because of COVID restrictions, he did not have a funeral, and Schaeffer was left feeling a lack of closure.

Jeff and Amie in a bookstore
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer celebrate the release of Metcalf’s second book of personal essays, “Back Cast.” (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)

To fulfill Metcalf’s request, Schaeffer decided to compile her poetry in a book. The entire process, spanning from the collection’s assembly to its submission in November, lasted about a year.

Working with an SLCC publishing studies class, students assisted with various aspects of the publishing process. Oliver Harrington was one of the collaborators.

“We each [collaborated] with the author to create something that really suits the material and matches the author’s vision for their work,” Harrington said.

Many of the book’s collaborators, including Harrington, found Schaeffer’s poetry and story moving.

“Amie has gone through a lot of terrible loss and pain in her life,” Harrington said. “It is near impossible for a person not to be touched by her story.”

Schaeffer recalled the feeling of relief that washed over her when the book was completed.

“I just cried,” Schaeffer said. “I was able to keep my promise.”

Jeff and Amie smile for a photo
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer snap a selfie after Metcalf’s performance of his one-man play about his journey through prostate cancer, “A Slight Discomfort” on Oct. 30, 2018. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)

Schaeffer subsequently won the first-place position on Jan. 6. Sunni Brown Wilkinson, a judge for the competition, called the book “a sharp, honest mediation on illness, loss, and grief” while also describing it as “a celebration of the human spirit, that light in the night sky that burns on.”

Schaeffer reflected on the book’s creation, saying that it helped her healing.

“I started this so I could keep a promise to a friend, and it ended up helping me find some of the closure I was looking for,” Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer remains friends with Metcalf’s daughter, Bailey Burgess Kreitzer, who will receive her father’s copy of Schaeffer’s book — a promise kept.

Jeff and Amie wear patriotic headgear
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer take part in the Fourth of July Parade in Lakeview, Montana, in 2019. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)

The college’s publication center, located in the Academic and Administration Building at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, will hold an event on Wednesday at 6 p.m. to commemorate and officially release Schaeffer’s collection as well as the work of Becca Harrison and H. E. Grahame – second and third place winners of the chapbook contest.

Schaeffer’s collection will see 130 published copies and Harrison and Grahame’s work will see 65.

The event will offer refreshments, snacks, and free admission to anyone who wishes to attend. Schaeffer, Harrison and Grahame will also sign copies of their work and read some of their poetry.

To learn more about this year’s winning writers and their manuscripts, visit the SLCC Publication Studies website.

Amie Schaeffer, 2022 chapbook contest winner, remembers Jeff Metcalf
1 of 7
Jeff Metcalf wears a goatee, glasses and ball cap
Jeff Metcalf at the Valley High School senior barbecue in June of 1997. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
Jeff and Amie make funny faces
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer ham it up over dinner during the 1999 Sawtooth Writer's Conference in Stanley, Idaho. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
Jeff and Amie practice fly casting
Jeff Metcalf teaches Amie Schaeffer how to cast a flyrod during the 2002 Sawtooth Writer's Conference. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
Jeff and Amie in a bookstore
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer celebrate the release of Metcalf's second book of personal essays, "Back Cast." (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
Jeff and Amie smile for a photo
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer snap a selfie after Metcalf's performance of his one-man play about his journey through prostate cancer, "A Slight Discomfort" on Oct. 30, 2018. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
Jeff and Amie wear patriotic headgear
Jeff Metcalf and Amie Schaeffer take part in the Fourth of July Parade in Lakeview, Montana, in 2019. (Courtesy of Amie Schaeffer)
"From the Dust of Stars" cover image
SLCC alumna Amie Schaeffer won first place in this year's chapbook contest for her collection of personal poetry, titled "From the Dust of Stars." (Cover by Tamra Rachol, SLCC Publication Studies)
  • TAGS
  • Amie Schaeffer
  • Chapbook
  • From the Dust of Stars
  • Jeff Metcalf
  • Oliver Harrington
  • Poetry
  • Publication Center
  • Publication Studies
  • Salt Lake Community College
  • SLCC alumni
  • Spring 2022
  • Sunni Brown Wilkinson
Ariel Widerburg

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