February 26, 2010: Sweeping the competition with placement in all four writing categories in the 2010 Southern Literary Festival undergraduate writing contest, Belhaven University students had the strongest showing of any participating institution. Out of the 4 writing categories (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and one-act plays), Belhaven students won first place in two, second place in two, and third place in one. In addition, the Brogue won first place in the literary journal category! This outstanding showing by Belhaven students includes the following awards:

1st Place, One-Act Play: Lea Schumacher, Shadows on the Walls
1st Place, Fiction: Sarah Swenson, The Grandfather Clock
1st Place, Literary Journal: the Brogue, edited by Martha Krystaponis, cover design by Bryant Butler
2nd Place, Poetry: Adrianne Smith, On Home
2nd Place, Nonfiction: Alex Freel, The Lodge
3rd Place, Nonfiction: Anna Marie Rebmann, Reading on Eternity's Doorstep

These students are invited to attend the 2010 Southern Literary Festival to be held at Mississippi University for Women, April 22-24, where they will have the opportunity to read from their winning works.

The Southern Literary Festival was established in 1937, with the Belhaven English Department as a founding member. Today, there are thirty member institutions across the southeast, ranging from Rhodes College in Tennessee to Furman University in South Carolina.

As the only Christian college in the US offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and one of just 26 undergraduate institutions offering such a degree, Belhaven University offers a unique opportunity for students to prepare for a career in the art of creative writing. For examples of student works, view a recent edition of the Brogue online.