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Creative Writing Students Win Honors at Statewide Competition

Caitlin Beauchamp

Caitlin Beauchamp MA’13 will read her first-place story, “Solstice,” at this year's Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers  conference.

UT Dallas creative writing students composed winning pieces again this year in the Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers (TACWT) Student Competition.

Caitlin Beauchamp MA’13 took first place in the Graduate Student Fiction category. Beauchamp, who recently completed her master’s degree in the humanities, studied under Dr. Frederick Turner, Founders Professor of Literature and Creative Writing. She has also worked with Dr. Matt Bondurant, an assistant professor in the School of Arts and Humanities, and Dr. Clay Reynolds, who is director of the creative writing program at UT Dallas. Beauchamp’s winning story, “Solstice,” was composed in Reynolds’ fiction writing workshop last fall.

UT Dallas senior Eve Maher won in the Undergraduate Student Fiction category. Maher wrote her winning story, “In a Swine’s Snout,” in a workshop led by Dr. Betty Wiesepape, who also taught the second-place winner in the Graduate Fiction category. Azure Arther captured the runner-up slot for her story, “Sunshine, Asphalt and Luggage.”

“All of these achievements by our students indicate the immense ability and dedication of all our teaching faculty, of course, but they also indicate that among our creative writing students is a wealth of talent and diligence that reflects splendidly on the School of Arts and Humanities,” Reynolds said.

Competition Winners

Graduate Student Fiction
First place: Caitlin Beauchamp
Second place: Azure Arther

Undergraduate Student Fiction
First place: Eve Maher

This is the second year in a row that a UT Dallas student has taken the graduate writing award. LaToya Watkins, a PhD candidate in the School of Arts and Humanities, was the Graduate Student Fiction award winner for 2012, also for a story completed in Reynolds’ class.

Watkins has continued to develop her craft, and is anticipating the publication this month of her story, “The Mother,” in Ruminate Magazine. She also has a forthcoming publication in the next issue of The Potomac Review.

Both of this year’s TACWT award winners will read their stories as part of the annual TACWT conference, which is being held this week on the campus of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Information about the conference, including a schedule of meetings and times, is available at TACWT’s website.

UT Dallas creative writing students have also received other recent honors. Elizabeth Johnson was selected as a scholarship participant at the Juniper Summer Writing Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Johnson, nominated by Reynolds for this competitive workshop, is pursuing her master’s degree in aesthetic studies.

“My workshop experience at Juniper was perfect. I've been very fortunate. Dr. Reynolds took a chance on me with his nomination, and he didn't have to,” said Johnson.

Last year, Lily Ounekeo, a PhD candidate in the Arts and Technology (ATEC) program, also nominated by Reynolds, was selected for and attended the Juniper Institute.

Media Contact: The Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].

Tagged: A&H