September 26, 2011 - (Jackson) Adie Smith (’11) is a multi-talented graduate who can sculpt, paint, and photograph, and was recently recognized and awarded for her imaginative work in poetry.
Smith, a Belhaven Visual Arts Major with a concentration in Creative Writing, won first place in the 2011 Janet B. McCabe Poetry Contest.
Dr. Randall Smith, Director of Creative Writing, said “Adie Smith is one of the best poets I have taught in the past twenty years-it no surprise to those familiar with her poetry that she won the McCabe Poetry Prize this year. In fact, according to the editor at Ruminate, all three of Adie submissions were selected by the contest judge, Naomi Shihab Nye, as finalists for the prize.”
Her poem, In Bridgewater, my room, was the winning submission that won her first place in the poetry competition.
This is not the first time Adie Smith has been recognized for her writing skills. She received honorable mention in the 2009 Janet B. McCabe Poetry Contest.
Belhaven University is the only Christian university in the United States offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
The creative writing program draws out a student’s artistic expression through writing while helping students develop and form their writing style.
In addition, it also teaches student writers to see the writing life as a high calling and a tool for unraveling the mysteries of creation and the human experience.
Belhaven is also one of 30 institutions in the nation accredited in four primary areas of the arts - visual art, music, theater, and dance. Belhaven competes at the highest level in the arts with some of the top schools in the nation.
Belhaven proudly stands among the select Christian colleges and universities that offer a unique general core curriculum encouraging the development of a personal worldview. The university believes a Christian worldview is a key to preparing men and women academically and spiritually to serve Christ Jesus in their careers, in human relationships, and in the world of ideas.
Founded in 1883, Belhaven University now serves over 3,000 students from campuses in Jackson, Memphis, Orlando, Houston, Chattanooga, Atlanta and online, offering traditional undergraduate degrees, graduate and adult degree programs, and online degree programs.