IU Southeast took home numerous awards at the 2012 Metroversity Writing Competition on March 29.

Eight IUS students won this year, placing first and second in four of the five undergraduate categories, which included fiction, non-fiction, poetry, academic and international writing.

Leigh Ann Meyer, director of the Writing Center, said she was excited about this year’s competition.

“It’s exciting that we could represent our school like that,” Meyer said. “We won first and second in every category we could have won.”

Winners included:

•    Jonathan Carson, senior, with two first place awards in fiction and academic writing
•    Madison Cyr, senior, with first place in non-fiction
•    Karyl Anne Geary, senior, with second place in non-fiction
•    Stacy D. Lintz, senior, with two second place awards in poetry and academic writing
•    Thomas Ogles, senior, with second place in fiction
•    Melanie Smith, senior, with first place in poetry

The competition has been held every spring for more than 20 years and is made up of seven institutes of higher education, including Bellarmine University, Spalding University and the University of Louisville.

Judges of the competition were made up of four authors and poets from all over the United States.

James Leary, professor of English at the University of Louisville, was the presenter, as well as the academic writing judge.

While the deadline for the competition was the end of January, this year was the first year students could submit electronically or in person to the Writing Center.

The first place winners were awarded $200, and writers are also able to place the awards in their graduate school applications.

“Winning awards like this is a big deal in the community,” Meyer said.

For Smith, it was her first time winning a creative writing award as well as the Metroversity Writing Competition. Smith said her poem entry “Raw” was inspired by the poetry and writings of Patti Smith.

“The meaning of the poem is to define beauty for yourself instead of letting society do it for you,” Smith said.

Smith has also won other awards in other writing contests at IUS for her work.

Meyer said she is excited about the Writing Program at IU Southeast.

“IUS did great work assisting the students who want to be writers,” Meyer said.

Students in the Metroversity Program can also take classes at metroversity campuses, which will count toward their degree.

By BRITTANY ELMORE

Staff

blelmore@ius.edu