Nine-year-old Detroit Lakes boy wins writing contest

After some contemplation, nine-year-old Kellen Ashmore grabbed a pencil. He proceeded to write and illustrate an award winning poem, “Minnesota Kid.”

“No way! I didn’t think I was going to win,” he said while looking through his gift basket.

The Detroit Lakes resident had just visited a southern state where dry ground met prickly objects that abutted the Gulf of Mexico. The landscape left him longing for snow covered ground, iced over lakes and all the outdoor fun that aligns with a white winter. Kellen decided the contrast of the two types of winters would make for an interesting poem.

Dawn Duncan, owner of Yellowbright and author, hosted The Frosty Pen writing competition for children as a Polar Fest activity. There were 21 entries. She is pictured with Kellen Ashmore who won the 8-12 age category.

“Some days I go ice fishing and even if the fish aren’t biting, I can’t complain. Because, my family is still making memories playing card games,” wrote the son of Lexy and Chase Ashmore.

He also put his artistic skills to work and drew a young boy on a sandy beach that was dreaming of snow and activities that go along with it.

When the poem and artwork were complete, Kellen entered it into the inaugural Polar Fest’s “Frosty Pen Kids’ Writing Contest.” The competition tasked writers with penning a story that could be fact or fiction and prose or poetry. The guidelines were loose, to allow for creativity, but the topic was set on being winter-themed.

The third-grader learned about the contest from his mom. Lexy learned about it through a homeschool group. Being the homeschool teacher for her children, she saw the contest as a great opportunity. She had an inkling that Kellen would be interested in the project as he is an avid reader of tales that include adventure and hunting.

While he enjoys reading and has a knack for writing, Kellen warned against waiting for a follow up work.

“I don’t want to write,” he said, noting that included poetry, fiction, memoirs and journalism. “I want to hunt.”

When his mom suggested he write about his hunting adventures, Kellen shrugged and offered, “maybe.”

Lexy Ashmore read Seraphina Ballerina to three of her kids (from left) Mack, 7, Ida, 5, and Vera, 2, at Bluebird Books, while her other son, Kellen, collected a prize for a poem he wrote. The poem was entered into a competition hosted by Yellowbright, which is owned by Dawn Duncan. Duncan happened to also write the children’s book Ashmore decided to read her children as they waited.

“The Frosty Pen Kids’ Writing Contest” winners were named by a panel of anonymous judges from the region and beyond: Kellen took top honors in the 8-12 age category, while Aubrey Johnson won in the 4-7 year-old category with her story, “The Winter Rose.”

Dawn Duncan hosted the contest through her business,

Yellowbright.

The local author noted there were 21 entries total.