Voices on the Breeze

The hard-working artists and writers who placed in the annual Mountain Breeze writing and art contest were honored on Thursday, April 11. That afternoon, the winners’ family and friends gathered in the Student Union Building to hear the writers read their works. The winning readers included Molly Woolworth, Caroline McClure, Kirsten McAfee, Mackenzie Hanks, Victoria Kinsey, Emily Blackwell, and Sarah Hill.

To mention just a few of the winning pieces: the poetry division included quite a range of works, from personal stories about the value of life to comical limericks about “a foolish dwarf” and an orc with skin “so green that it glowed.” Sarah Hill’s devotional “In Our Mess” drew many fascinating parallels between the life of her huge, messy German shepherd and the lives of Christians who continually mess up but are still forgiven. The afternoon concluded with a dramatic read-through of Victoria Kinsey’s one-act play, “You Only Live Nine Times.” The author was joined by Cason Moncrief and Sharissa Smith for the performance featuring a hilarious duel of wits between a cat and a questionable police officer.

In addition to the usual first, second, and third places awarded in each category, the Mountain Breeze also has an annual award given to one of the winning underclassmen. The Anna Jackson Quinn Award is given to a freshman or sophomore who submits the highest quality work in their category. This year’s Quinn Award recipient was Brienna Schmidt, who won second place in the art category with her portrait of Mrs. Johnnie Armstrong, appropriately titled “ArmSTRONG.”

All these works and more can be found in the print copy of the Mountain Breeze journal, which is free for all students. If you did not get a copy at the reading or after Awards Day chapel, be sure to stop by Dr. Kerns’ office to get yours and see the fantastic work done by your fellow students.

Students, remember that this is a great chance to get your work published and see your name in print! (Not to mention the nice little incentive of cash prizes.) This is not limited to only English majors – writing and artwork are welcomed from all students and majors who wish to submit.

The Mountain Breeze wants your artistic expressions! The deadline for submissions is generally the Friday before Fall Break, so get creative over the summer and have your masterpieces ready when we come back to campus next semester!