ACU students honored in CCL student writing contest

Two ACU English majors have proved they have the talent and creativity to stand out among their peers as writers.  Sophomore Jordan Smith from Escondido Calif. and senior Grant Vickery from Atlanta, Ga., wone honors in the student writing contest as part of the 2010 Conference on Christianity and Literature.

The annual student writing contest is open to undergraduate students from across the nation. Each year, three winners are chosen in the categories of poetry, nonfiction and fiction.

Smith was awarded second place in the poetry category for his piece “Bulverde,” a poem about finding an unexpected moment of peace at an empty house. Vickery’s essay, “Things Fall Down,” earned him an honorable mention in the nonfiction category.

Each of the winning pieces was originally written for a class assignment. Al Haley, writer in residence at ACU and associate professor of English, taught both students.

“Jordan’s winning poem was one of more than 30 he wrote for my Poetry Workshop. It’s a carefully crafted piece with fine use of language and unexpected line breaks,” says Haley. “Grant’s essay was actually his first assignment in my Creative Nonfiction Workshop. I didn’t assign them a topic, but I suggested they might find something to write about by considering how nature affects them.”

The first, second and third place winners of the 2010 writing contest received a generous selection of books, a one-year subscription to Image, and a one-year membership to the Conference on Christianity and Literature. Their work was also published on the conference website.

“It’s the quality of writing that really counts in this contest,” says Haley. “Both of these students used language to create really unique pieces.”