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UA creative writing student places second in

The narrator in Arnie Niekamp's short story, "Men," greets readers by saying, "Everything I know about love, I learned from my grandfather."

From there, the narrator explains how sometimes his grandfather's love could become damaging.

However, the editors from the Atlantic Monthly thought Niekamp's portrayal of love was anything but bad when they selected Niekamp's story for second-place honors in the Atlantic Monthly Fiction Contest.

Niekamp, a UA creative writing graduate student, has been winning writing awards since high school, when he used to pen plays. As an undergraduate in Ohio and a University of Arizona graduate student, Niekamp continued to rack up honors.

But Niekamp said it was to his surprise when, about two weeks ago, a small envelope simply marked "Atlantic Monthly" arrived in Niekamp's mailbox.

"I assumed it was a pleasant 'thanks-for-entering' note," he said.

Instead, it was a notification from the journal's editors saying Niekamp had won second place and a $500 prize in the annual student-writer contest.

"It's not the most money I've won for any given story, but it's the most prestigious (award)," Niekamp said.

Niekamp entered the renowned student writing contest at the last minute after the urging of some friends, who were also submitting works. Niekamp said he had already written "Men," and it was handy because it fit the contest's length requirements.

"The writing of it wasn't quick, but the turning in was pretty fast," he said.

The hurriedly-submitted, but winning, "Men" centers around an elderly woman who is sent to a convalescent hospital after her husband can no longer care for the woman's crippling multiple sclerosis - though he occasionally kidnaps his wife and brings her back home.

Such serious subject matter is not the whole of Niekamp's work, though. He also writes creative non-fiction and skits for the campus performance troupe, Comedy Corner, which he also performs in.

After graduating with his master's degree in December, Niekamp says he plans to move to Chicago, where he would like to get a job and continue writing, as well as work on the improvisational skills he practices with Comedy Corner.

Though Atlantic Monthly may not publish "Men," Niekamp said he is willing to share his work with anybody who asks.