{"id":29213,"date":"2024-12-06T17:39:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T22:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=29213"},"modified":"2024-12-06T17:39:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T22:39:36","slug":"tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Two Tusculum University<\/a> students recently earned honors, including first place, in the inaugural Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest<\/a>.<\/h3>\n
\"Tate

Tate Haugen, left, and Kiersten Paxton celebrate their recognition in one of Tusculum University\u2019s English classrooms.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tate Haugen finished in first place, and Kiersten Paxton landed in third place in the competition, which the Poetry Society of Tennessee sponsored. The two, who are seniors pursuing bachelor\u2019s degrees in English<\/a>, with a concentration in creative writing, will have their poems published in Tennessee Voices Anthology 2024-2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ecstatic to see these results from Tate and Kiersten and congratulate them on achieving this special honor,\u201d said Dr. Josh Martin, assistant professor of English. \u201cBoth of them are talented writers with the potential for strong careers in this field as they continue to develop their craft. Their success and commitment to high-quality work continue Tusculum\u2019s tradition of producing excellent creative writers who make their mark on the literary world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haugen won for his poem \u201cStill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Still\u2019 is a poem about reflection on my past,\u201d Haugen said. \u201cIt goes into nurture and what still means. I wrote this poem hoping to capture the beauty of stillness and why it was important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda Parsons, a poet and essayist, whose writings have appeared in multiple journals and anthologies, served as the contest judge. She had many positive comments about Haugen\u2019s poem.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Still\u2019 stands tall among the rest with its many surprises and mastery of craft,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cThe conceit of stillness takes several shapes and turns and holds the reader to the end. I also admire the forbidding edges in this poem. These\u00a0edges attract rather than repel, a fine balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paxton came in third for her poem “Thistle’s Crime,\u201d which she said is about blame and those on whom someone places it. The poem delves into someone taking advantage of another person and then reacting negatively when the target stands up for himself or herself. She said one could view the poem as centering on abuse.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal was to discuss the idea of the \u2018perfect victim,\u2019 or rather, that there isn’t one,\u201d Paxton said. \u201cMany people shake their heads at others for lashing out without considering the events that occurred prior to cause their anger. I’ve always been interested in people and their stories; I always try to understand the motivation behind the actions as someone who has been treated unfairly in the past. I wanted people to understand that there is always a bigger picture to look for.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her assessment of Paxton\u2019s poem, Parsons said, \u201c\u2019Thistle\u2019s Crime\u2019 is a masterful use of rhyme and language in the Romantic tradition, with the well-constructed metaphor of thorns\/vulnerability. The musicality here is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he learned he was selected as the winner in this competition, Haugen said he jumped for joy. He considers this accomplishment to be a big step forward toward becoming a good writer and poet. Paxton said it was exciting to be chosen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen working creatively, there’s always a part of you that believes that you’d be the only one to like what you’re doing,\u201d she said. \u201cThe opportunity to be published is a breathtaking experience. It’s anxiety-inducing but in the best ways possible. It feels like a panic attack occurring from excitement and happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haugen, who is from Wisconsin, is interested in writing for an outdoor company or finding another outlet for his writing. An avid outdoorsman, he explores nature and what it means to be a hunter in his free time. He has served as assistant drama editor and assistant poetry editor for The Tusculum Review, the university\u2019s international literary journal, and as one of the editors for Sit Lux, a journal overseen by students. Haugen received an honorable mention in the poetry category in the Curtis \u201928 and Billie Owens Literary Prize competition this year. He has also been a member of the Tusculum\u2019s student and community bands.<\/p>\n

Paxton is from Bristol, and has used her time at Tusculum to serve as the assistant fiction editor for The Tusculum Review and as one of the lead editors of Sit Lux. She likes music, books and experimenting with writing styles and genres. She won the drama, fiction and nonfiction categories in the Owens competition this year. One of Paxton\u2019s poems was published in Tennessee Voices Anthology 2022-2023. Her goal is become a full-time writer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe rejoice in seeing Tate and Kiersten receive this well-deserved acclaim for their skill and creativity,\u201d said Kelsey Trom, associate professor of English. \u201cThey have demonstrated a passion for good writing and have consistently produced it during their Tusculum studies. We look forward to watching their careers in the writing field unfold and know their product will reflect well on themselves and our creative writing program.<\/p>\n

\u201cTate and Kiersten have benefitted greatly from Dr. Martin\u2019s tutelage. Dr. Martin publishes regularly and this year won the prestigious Pinch Literary Prize for Poetry for \u2018Two Truths & A Meatball.\u2019 Our students are lucky to work with an accomplished poet and selfless mentor. They\u2019re looking forward to their intensive poetry workshop with him in the spring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional information about Tusculum\u2019s English program is available at https:\/\/site.tusculum.edu\/english-2\/<\/a>. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Two Tusculum University<\/a> students recently earned honors, including first place, in the inaugural Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

Tate Haugen finished in first place, and Kiersten Paxton landed in third place in the competition, which the Poetry Society of Tennessee sponsored. The two, who are seniors pursuing bachelor\u2019s degrees in English<\/a>, with a concentration in creative writing, will have their poems published in Tennessee Voices Anthology 2024-2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ecstatic to see these results from Tate and Kiersten and congratulate them on achieving this special honor,\u201d said Dr. Josh Martin, assistant professor of English. \u201cBoth of them are talented writers with the potential for strong careers in this field as they continue to develop their craft. Their success and commitment to high-quality work continue Tusculum\u2019s tradition of producing excellent creative writers who make their mark on the literary world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,7,160,19,169,146,1,6,148,147,149,172],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GREENEVILLE \u2013 Two Tusculum University students recently earned honors, including first place, in the inaugural Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest. Tate Haugen finished in first place, and Kiersten Paxton landed in third place in the competition, which the Poetry Society of Tennessee sponsored. The two, who are seniors pursuing bachelor\u2019s degrees in English, with a concentration in creative writing, will have their poems published in Tennessee Voices Anthology 2024-2025. \u201cWe are ecstatic to see these results from Tate and Kiersten and congratulate them on achieving this special honor,\u201d said Dr. Josh Martin, assistant professor of English. \u201cBoth of them are talented writers with the potential for strong careers in this field as they continue to develop their craft. Their success and commitment to high-quality work continue Tusculum\u2019s tradition of producing excellent creative writers who make their mark on the literary world.\u201d Read the full article...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/awards-9-300x284.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jim Wozniak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jim Wozniak\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/\",\"name\":\"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21b61c94e78ce303ab780be8b1e62dd7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News and Information\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY NEWS\",\"description\":\"News for Alumni, Parents and Friends\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21b61c94e78ce303ab780be8b1e62dd7\",\"name\":\"Jim Wozniak\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d61ad3ea2d16960d99f5aea77c2329e?s=96&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d61ad3ea2d16960d99f5aea77c2329e?s=96&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jim Wozniak\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/author\/jwozniaktusculum-edu\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University","og_description":"GREENEVILLE \u2013 Two Tusculum University students recently earned honors, including first place, in the inaugural Tennessee Collegiate Poetry Contest. Tate Haugen finished in first place, and Kiersten Paxton landed in third place in the competition, which the Poetry Society of Tennessee sponsored. The two, who are seniors pursuing bachelor\u2019s degrees in English, with a concentration in creative writing, will have their poems published in Tennessee Voices Anthology 2024-2025. \u201cWe are ecstatic to see these results from Tate and Kiersten and congratulate them on achieving this special honor,\u201d said Dr. Josh Martin, assistant professor of English. \u201cBoth of them are talented writers with the potential for strong careers in this field as they continue to develop their craft. Their success and commitment to high-quality work continue Tusculum\u2019s tradition of producing excellent creative writers who make their mark on the literary world.\u201d Read the full article...","og_url":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/","og_site_name":"TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY NEWS","article_published_time":"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/awards-9-300x284.jpg"}],"author":"Jim Wozniak","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jim Wozniak","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/","url":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/","name":"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest :: Tusculum University","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00","dateModified":"2024-12-06T22:39:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21b61c94e78ce303ab780be8b1e62dd7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2024\/tusculum-university-creative-writing-program-students-earn-1st-and-3rd-place-in-statewide-poetry-contest\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News and Information","item":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Tusculum University creative writing program students earn 1st and 3rd place in statewide poetry contest"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/","name":"TUSCULUM UNIVERSITY NEWS","description":"News for Alumni, Parents and Friends","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/21b61c94e78ce303ab780be8b1e62dd7","name":"Jim Wozniak","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d61ad3ea2d16960d99f5aea77c2329e?s=96&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4d61ad3ea2d16960d99f5aea77c2329e?s=96&r=g","caption":"Jim Wozniak"},"url":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/author\/jwozniaktusculum-edu\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29213"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29215,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29213\/revisions\/29215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}