English Department Senior Lecturer Shanan Ballam and Lecturer Ashley Wells have both won Utah Original Writing Competition Awards.

Shanan was awarded Honorable Mention in the Poetry category for her poem, entitled "Thomas and Stubbs”—Thomas and Stubbs are imagined to be two 10-year-old boys. About Shanan’s poem, judge Amaranth Borsuk writes, "The characters that emerge in these poems captured my imagination. The author of these devastating poems builds the reader's trust by leaving space in their worlds for us to imagine." 

Ashley won First Place in the Creative Nonfiction Essay category for her piece, “Awash.” On the winning essay, judge Jessica Zafra writes, "Compelling, punctuated by jarring revelations and moments of unexpected humor, Awash is a memoir of addiction. It captures in cinematic detail the complications and contradictions of being in a family with a history of drug addiction and crime: the ‘fun’ grandfather who plays Santa Claus next to a tree he may have stolen, the nurturing grandmother who runs a sophisticated check-writing scam, the joyful celebrations interrupted by bad news. The author sees her relatives for what they are, but does not pass judgement or make excuses for their actions—we never lose sight of their humanity. Her concern for the people she loves, her constant fear that the surface calm may suddenly be shattered by an explosion, gives way to a sense of dread over her own issues with chronic pain amidst an opioid epidemic. The author shows us the difficulty of breaking free of this poisoned family legacy, but also the vigilance and determination that could make it possible." 

The annual Utah Original Writing Competition has helped Utah fiction, nonfiction, and poetry writers achieve publication and recognition since 1958. Winners were selected from over 200 entries from other Utah-based writers. Their achievement places them among past winners, which include four Utah Poet Laureates: David Lee, Ken Brewer, Katharine Coles, and Lance Larsen.