The five winners of the Student Ekphrastic Poetry Competition are expected to read their poems in the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery on Thursday April 11, at 7 p.m.
Faculty from the Department of English’s Writing program and professional staff from the Marion Art Gallery coordinated the competition and reading. The reading is free and open to the public.
The student winners and their poem are:
• Sophia Myers, first place, “My body is a Laylah Ali Creation.” She is a senior, majoring in Psychology with minors in Creative Writing and Sociology, from Astoria, Queens, NY;
• Ashley Giaccio, second place, “Her mother, My brother.” She is a senior, majoring in Musical Theatre with a minor in Creative Writing, from Hartford, NY;
• Holden Stevenson, third place, “Burrowed Worms.” He is a junior, majoring in Theatre Arts with a minor in Creative Writing, from Palmyra, NY;
• Rhiannon Craver, honorable mention, “Don’t Worry, I’ll Return Your Self Assurance When I’m Done With It.” She is a junior, majoring in Musical Theatre, from Whitney Point, NY;
• Ethan Smith, honorable mention, “At This Moment.” He is a sophomore, majoring in Adolescence Education: English, and Writing with a minor in Philosophy, from West Seneca, NY.
The competition was open to all currently enrolled Fredonia students. To be eligible, the poems had to be influenced by a drawing in the Marion Art Gallery's current exhibition, "Is anything the matter? Drawings by Laylah Ali." Students could submit up to three poems. Faculty from the Writing program chose the winning poems.
Winners received cash prizes totaling $550 – first place, $200; second place, $150; third place – $100 and two honorable mentions – $50 each.
The event, exhibition, and publication are supported by the Fredonia College Foundation's Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities Fund and the Cathy and Jesse Marion Endowment Fund, as well as Friends of Rockefeller Arts Center.
"Is anything the matter?" is on display through April 14; a 152-page exhibition catalog is available at the gallery free of charge.
