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Four Young Harris College Students Become Finalists in Prestigious Writing Competition
YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. — Four Young Harris College students were selected as finalists in the 45th Annual Agnes Scott Writers’ Festival Contest, representing each category in the competition.
Junior creative writing major Sarah Boudreau of Cumming, Ga., was selected as a drama finalist, junior creative writing major Morgan Bilicki of Blairsville, Ga., was selected as a drama and fiction finalist, senior religious studies major Jami Padgett of Ellijay, Ga., was selected as a poetry finalist, and senior business and public policy major Erik Hallin of Hagfors, Sweden, was selected as a nonfiction finalist.
“Being named a finalist in this contest is a major accomplishment,” said Director of the Creative Writing Program and Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Chelsea Rathburn. “All of the entries are read anonymously without being separated by level. This means that our students are competing against submissions from M.F.A. and Ph.D. programs, and they beat out these graduate students to become finalists.”
The winners of the contest will be selected by visiting writers at the Agnes Scott Writers’ Festival and will be announced on Thursday, April 7. The winner in each category will receive $500 and all finalists will be given the opportunity to take a one-day workshop with the visiting writers, including poet and memoirist Richard Blanco, who read at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
“It hasn’t entirely sunk in yet, but I am honored to be a finalist,” said Padgett. “I couldn’t have done it without the support of the creative writing department. If I hadn’t taken that leap and listened to my creative writing professor, I never would have even considered writing poetry or enrolling in a poetry workshop—much less submitting my work to a writing contest. It’s surreal.”
“It’s notable that we have two non-majors as finalists this year,” said Rathburn. “This is proof of the power of a liberal arts education: students from across the College are interested in studying the craft of poets, fiction writers, and essayists—and thanks to our flexible core curriculum, they’re able to pursue those interests and become successful writers.”
This is the second year in a row that YHC students have been selected as finalists in the contest. Last year, YHC had the second-highest number of finalists of any college in the competition—no small accomplishment for a major that was in its very first year.
“We knew that our students were entering some exceptional pieces in this year’s contest, but we didn’t think we’d top our showing last year when three YHC students were selected as finalists. These students are evidence that our program is poised to do great things.” Rathburn said.
For more information about YHC’s creative writing program, visit yhc.edu/creativewriting.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private, baccalaureate degree-granting college located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires and empowers students through the highest quality liberal arts education. The College currently has more than 1,200 students across five divisions—Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Mathematics and Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The historic campus in Young Harris, Ga., is currently undergoing major campus improvements to accommodate the College’s growth. Recent LEED-certified campus improvements include the 121,000-square-foot Rollins Campus Center, new residence facilities, and a 57,000-square-foot recreation and fitness center. In 2014, the College was granted active membership in NCAA Division II and is a fierce competitor in the prestigious Peach Belt Conference. YHC is among fewer than 300 colleges and universities nationwide named to the 2015-2016 list of Colleges of Distinction. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
(Left to right) junior creative writing major Morgan Bilicki of Blairsville, Ga., senior religious studies major Jami Padgett of Ellijay, Ga., junior creative writing major Sarah Boudreau of Cumming, Ga., and senior business and public policy major Erik Hallin of Hagfors, Sweden, were selected as finalists in the 45th Annual Agnes Scott Writers’ Festival Contest.
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