MILWAUKEE • A nostalgic essay about the poignant stories told by cemeteries, "Sentimental Strolls in the Graveyards," has won first place for Lola O'Brien Huber of North Freedom in the 2003 Al P. Nelson Feature Writing Contest.

The contest, sponsored by the Wisconsin Regional Writers' Association, was judged by Michele Hein, editor-in-chief of Wisconsin Woman magazine, who praised the manuscript's detail, which she said gave it "great depth and really draws the reader in."

A key excerpt in Huber's feature reads: "There are many stories behind the iron gates of a cemetery. [Graveyards] are more than a resting place for the dead; they are a window into the lives that came before us. They are like opening a book on the history of the area and [realizing that] one day we will be a part of that story."

The North Freedom writer was awarded the $75 first prize at the May 3 WRWA spring conference, held this year in Milwaukee, at the Howard Johnson Inn downtown.

The $50 second prize went to Barb Jensen of Portage for her touching reminiscence, "While Savoring Vienna Sausages." The feature focused on her grandparents and the Sunday afternoon picnics that were a meaningful part of her childhood.

The $25 third prize was awarded to Richard E. Carter of Wauwatosa for his quietly compelling account of an unhurried February outing on skis in Door County's Newport State Park. Good exercise, yes, but the journey through the woods was even more satisfying to the soul, he pointed out.

Honorable mentions were awarded to Lou Roach of Poynette for her profile of small-town editor, Dean Showers; and to Lois E. Gloyd, Ripon, for her feature on a Christmas quilt show in Ripon.

A total of 40 Wisconsin writers entered this year's competition.

The presentations were made by Lola Huber of North Freedom, who acted as emcee. She was the winner of the 2003 contest.

This was the ninth annual Al P. Nelson Feature Writing Contest, which is named after the longtime Delafield free-lance writer and University of Wisconsin Extension writing instructor. Nelson, author of a book on the early days of moviemaking, The Birth of a Nation Story, died in 1994 and his family set up a fund to launch the WRWA contest.