Sunstone is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Eugene England Memorial Personal Essay Contest. The competition has been drawing together the best work from new and experienced writers for more than 15 years, revealing new experiences and creating new perspectives. Sunstone subscribers can look forward to reading these essays in future issues.

1st Place: “The Process of Staying,” by Susan M. Hinckley. For many people, it looks like Hinckley, with her independent ways, is in the process of leaving the LDS Church. But she argues that she’s actually in the process of staying.

2nd Place: “Fledglings,” by Dayna Patterson. Raising daughters in the LDS Church, and in America, is a difficult undertaking. Among the tools one needs to succeed are seagulls, Star Trek, and King Lear.

Honorable Mention: “The Gods Step Out of Their Hiding Place: Meditations on Divine Presence,” by Tyler Chadwick. A flock of doves, Walt Whitman, and Emma Lou Thayne come together in this meditation on how words guide the soul and the community it is part of.