The Whidbey Island Writers Association announced David Hearn as the grand-prize winner in the 2009 Spirit of Writing contest for his short story, “The Truth of Relationship.”

Hearn won a “A Day at the MFA,” a one-day participation in the January residency schedule of the Whidbey Writers Workshop Master of Fine Arts degree program.

The Sno-Isle Branch Libraries will host literary-reading programs featuring the Spirit of Writing 2009 winners in poetry, fiction, essay, memoir and children’s literature. Program dates and times are: 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 at the Oak Harbor Library and 7 p.m. at the Coupeville Library (Au Sable Institute); 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25 at the Freeland Library; 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 at the Langley Library; and 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4 at Clinton Community Hall.