Get to Know George Rogers - Second Prize Winner of the SWF25 First 5 Pages Prize
George Rogers’ essays have appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times. He is the 2024 Robert Traver Award winner for his essay “Last Salad on the Gairezi.” His essay “The Pink Ranchers” was selected as a notable essay in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023. His piece “The Last Good Days of a Very Good Dog” was voted The Boston Globe’s number-one Ideas essay of 2022.
Rogers is a high-school science and English teacher living in northern New York. He spends his summers as a fly fishing guide in Alaska, working out of the cabin he built near Denali National Park with his wife, Denise.
Snow Periscope is his first novel.
Take us back to the moment you first found out you had been longlisted. Where were you, and what was your immediate reaction?
My reaction was, well, that’s the first hurdle.
When you subsequently heard you had made the shortlist, did it change how you viewed your writing or your chances in the competition?
I was surprised and grateful for making the short list. At the time, I remember thinking that I had a chance—while also being keenly aware that there are LOTS of other talented folks out there. But I thought my submission was strong and with some luck, I might make the last cut.
Author and SWF First 5 Pages Judge Mike Gayle awarding George Rogers the Silver prize at SWF2025.
When you finally learned you were the silver award winner, what emotions came up for you in that moment?
Surprised, of course, and feeling as if I might have something good here, something worth pushing ahead with.
What originally motivated you to enter the Stockholm Writers Festival First 5 Pages Prize in the first place?
My college-age son told me that I should write a novel and retire. So far, neither have happened.
Where do you usually draw your creative inspiration from, and how did that influence the piece you submitted?
I have never had trouble coming up with ideas. But I don’t trust them, and so I have, for the most part, only written essays—short pieces with little risk. But a novel is a gamble. And there are lots of things I would rather be doing than writing for weeks on end with no guarantee. So ideas come to me. But until now, I’ve ignored them—especially ideas that might require a novel-length commitment of time.
The first line of my novel came to me while I was pumping gas. I wrote that line down on one of the complimentary paper towels at the pumps. I immediately knew that that single sentence had everything I needed. More importantly, it was too interesting to ignore—Father’s sight is failing, so the periscope he built me often leaks.
George Rogers addressing SWF2025 while author and prize judge Mike Gayle looks on.
What did it mean to you to be able to travel to Stockholm for the festival and receive this recognition for the quality of your writing?
I love to travel, so the chance to explore Stockholm was thrilling. My wife and I came a few days early to get to know the city. We did some serious walking about town and toured as many museums as we could. We even kayaked around Stockholm’s islands. Beautiful.
While you were in Stockholm, you took the opportunity to meet with an agent during the festival - at the risk of prying, how did your agent meeting go?
I had a great meeting with John Baker, an agent with Bell Lomax Moreton. At the time, I only had the first five chapters finished, but he read those and got back to me promptly, encouraging me to keep going and hoping that I’d send him the finished novel. That makes the writing easier.
How has winning the silver award shaped your confidence or your sense of direction as a writer moving forward?
It’s made me committed to finishing this project. As a result, I’ve been steadily chipping away. I hope that by next year, I’ll have this thing finished. So the award certainly helped me move forward. And it has certainly given me confidence.
Catherine Pettersson, George Rogers, Michael Fleming and Mike Gayle at SWF2025
Would you recommend the First 5 Pages Prize and the Stockholm Writers Festival to other writers who feel ready to take the next step, and why?
Of course, you should enter the contest! Someone has to win. It might as well be you. In my case, the contest was literally the carrot that moved me to write the first pages of Snow Periscope. The festival brought me to a beautiful city, where I met lots of talented, friendly people. I also now have the ear of a great agent. So when I finally finish my novel, I can honestly say that it’s because of the Stockholm Writers Festival.