`Purple’ prose winner

Michael Tubbs, a 12th grader at Franklin High School in Sacramento County, is the winner of the essay contest sponsored by the musical production of The Color Purple now at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco.Out of nine semi-finalists, Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the original novel, chose Tubbs as the winner of the contest, which asked students to address the topic: ``How I Changed My Own Life.''Tubbs' essay, Walker said, ``has won the contest because it exemplifies what The Color Purple is about: the belief that each of us has an indomitable spirit within us that we can trust to carry us through perils.''You can read Tubbs' essay at www.shnsf.com/news/article along with Walker's comments on the essay. The site also features a an audio slide show of Walker working with a Skyline High School English class and discussing the essay challenge.The semifinalists included: Casey Brydon (Berkeley High), Kylie Carera (Ecole Bilingue), Marilyn Chao (Skyline High), Natasha Lowery (Ecole Bilingue), Desiree Brittany Sims (Berkeley High), Makayla Williams (American Indian Public Charter School) and Neal Williams (Las Lomas High).The Color Purple continues at the Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco, through Dec. 9. Call 415-512-7770 or visit www.shnsf.com or www.ticketmaster.com for information.