HIBBING, Minnesota (April 23, 2012) – The literary committee of Dylan Days, the annual cultural event held in Bob Dylan’s hometown, announces its 2012 winners of the B.J. Rolfzen Memorial Creative Writing Contest. Winners will be published in the Dylan Days literary journal “Talkin’ Blues” and are invited to speak at this year’s literary showcase.

“This year’s contest once again included entries from all over the world,” said Aaron J. Brown, Dylan Days co-chair and editor of “Talkin’ Blues.” “We were pleasantly surprised to see some past winners do well in the contest, along with a number of writers and poets new to our competition. This year’s entries were fun to read.”

The contest welcomes entries of any genre or style. A three-judge panel reviews hundreds of entries and uses a blind ranking system to select the top works.

The Dylan Days Literary Showcase will be held during a Dylan Days symposium at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 25 at the Hibbing Memorial Building Little Theater, the same stage where Bob Dylan played one of his first paid gigs.

Dylan Days 2012 is scheduled for May 24-27. We'll once again be hosting our singer/songwriter contest, writing contest and literary showcase, visual arts competition, and Bobby Zimmerman bus tour. Stay tuned for news on live music and other attractions for 2012.

The following excerpt from the May 2009 edition of Rolling Stone's Douglas Brinkley interview with Dylan explains why we organize Dylan Days:

“I ask Dylan if he minds people visiting Hibbing or Duluth or Minneapolis searching for the root of his talent. ‘Not at all,’ he surprisingly says. ‘That town where I grew up hasn’t really changed that much, so whatever was in the air before is probably still there. I go through once in a while coming down from Canada. I’ll stop there and wander around.’"

"Whatever's in the air" is still here in this blue collar mining town with a special past and curious future. We are a small town group with a big dream, to expand the arts in Northern Minnesota and welcome people from around the world for music, art, writing and stories. Dylan Days welcomes you to create art or experience art in the place where Bob Dylan and many others first learned about love, conflict and the human condition. The only way to really know what happens at Dylan Days is to come to Hibbing and see for yourself.

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Thanks to all who attended or otherwise participated in Dylan Days 2011! People from all over the world converged on Bob Dylan's hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota, to celebrate the musician's 70th birthday week and the arts community of northern Minnesota. Stay tuned for updates on next year's event. Share your thoughts or suggestions at our Facebook page, Tweet us or e-mail us.