Four Eastern Students Win CT Review Prizes

Written by Este Yarmosh

Willimantic, Conn. - Four Eastern Connecticut State University students are the recipients of awards in fiction, non-fiction and poetry from the Connecticut Review, a literary and arts journal published semi-annually by the Connecticut State University System.  Junior Kendall Smith, a history major, won the Leslie Leeds Poetry Prize for "The Forgotten Unmoving."  English major Jennifer Kanyock '09 won the Essay Contest for "Hair, in Three Vignettes."  Junior Andrew Garaventa and Geoffrey Weldon '09 obtained honorable mentions in the fiction and poetry categories.     

"The fact that four of Eastern's undergraduate writers were recognized in this contest is an outstanding accomplishment," said Eastern English Professor Meredith Clermont-Ferrand.  "It speaks to the exceptional talent of our creative writing teachers as well as the dedication of our students.   Our mission at Connecticut Review is to produce a journal that functions as a pedagogical tool that inspires student creative expression while showcasing the high level of talent CSU schools produce through their rigorous Liberal Arts education."

Winners of each writing category will be published in the spring 2009 edition of the Connecticut Review.  For the first time in the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) Writing Conference history, all winners and honorable mentions will have the opportunity to read their work at the CSU Writing Conference which will be held at Central Connecticut State University on March 14.  The conference is free and Eastern students, faculty and administration are invited to attend.