Author Askold Melnyczuk and English professor Tom Sleigh presented the 13th annual writing prizes to 12 students last night in the Wren Room of Sanborn House.
Melnyczuk, described by Sleigh as a "post-war, post-industrial, history-laden Orpheus" read chapters from his latest work, "Necessity." He is also the author of another work titled "What is Told," his first novel.
After the reading, Melnyczuk presented seven awards. Andrew Pearson '95 won the Academy of American Poets Prize for best poem. Andrew Sargent '95 and Susan Zieger '95 won the Alexander Laing Memorial Writing Award for the best manuscript of original poems.
The Lockwood Prize, given to a junior for a manuscript went to Jennifer Wulff '96. Other awards included the Grimes Prize awarded to Charmaine Oakley '95, the Hardy Skilling Prize in Literature awarded to Jessica Keyt '95 and the Sidney Cox Prize awarded to Diana Sabot '95 and Andrew Pearson '95. Amy Thomas '97 won the English 80 creative writing prize.
Several students also received honorable mentions for their works, including Sally Rosenthal '95, Zachary Finch '95 and Claire Unis '95.
"It's nice for writers to have a venue to share their talents and to be recognized," Wulff said. Wulff, an English major, submitted a short story and two chapters of a novel which deal with the issue of paternal control within a family. As a senior fellow, Wulff will complete her novel over the course of her senior year.
Additional reporting was done by Laurel Smith
