By ALEX MALM

Bridget Pouliot, an eighth grader at Warwick Veterans Memorial Middle School was sitting in her Italian class when summoned to the school office on March 2. Pouliot didn’t know what it was for.

She was accompanied by her English teacher from last year, Brenda Aspelund. When Pouliot walked into the conference room she was greeted with applause. She was told her story “Cousins Come to Rhode Island” received a notable mention in the Write Rhode Island short fiction competition.

“I wasn’t expecting this today,” said Pouliot  in an interview after the award presentation.

Write Rhode Island is a short fiction writing competition for Rhode Island students presented by School One and Goat Hill, according to a press release. The goal of Write Rhode Island is to promote and celebrate the work of students by incorporating Rhode Island as a theme in a creative piece of prose.  

Pouliot explained that the competition meant a lot to her not only because it was in her home state but because the story means a lot to her. The story is based on seeing her cousins after two years.

Typically their family would gather in Bonnet Shores during the summer but weren’t able to for two years due to the pandemic.

“There were a lot of emotions,” said Pouliot. She said spent about a week editing the story.

Aspelund called Pouliot a “voracious reader.”

“I think that fuels her ability to write well in so many different genres,” said Aspelund. “She is a deep thinker with a vivid imagination who uses imagery and figurative language well, but what’s most impressive is her ability to reveal the inner thoughts of her characters.”

Aspelund said she was thrilled when she heard Pouliot got the honor but wasn’t surprised at all.

“She’s a very talented writer,” said Aspelund.

When Pouliot  entered Vets in sixth grade she said she wasn’t much of a writer and was more into drawing and art.

She eventually found her passion through writing fan fiction online for an app called  “Newsies,” writing them as presents for family. She eventually started entering contests as well.

During her first year at Vets she heard about the Young Authors Club but didn’t want to join. Last year most of the year was remote but when school returned in the fall she helped to revive the club.

Pouliot  was told she needed 10 names aside from herself who wanted to join in order to start up the club again. She was able to recruit that many students and the club was formed once again.

Aside from the Young Authors Club, Pouliot also writes for the school newspaper. She has written six articles covering  student council elections, cross country, and basketball.

“I really like writing,” said Pouliot.

Pouliot  explained she has issues with her ears and has had many different surgeries. She said one of her favorite topics that she writes about is what she has gone through with them.

One of her recent stories was about her latest surgery on her ears focusing on her emotions pre and post surgery.

The Write Rhode Island competition isn’t the only one that Pouliot has entered. Last year she earned honorable mention for her Scholastics Arts and Writing competition.

Next year Pouliot will be attending Pilgrim High School where her mother Margaret  is the English Department Head.

Pouliot  plans on taking creative writing freshman and junior year and bringing the Young Authors Club, which Pilgrim currently doesn’t have.

Pouliot will be published in Write Rhode Island in a special anthology and honored at a special awards ceremony alongside the other winners at the Newport Art Museum on April 3.