“This honor is amazing. Poetry has always been something I have connected with and truly enjoyed, so for my work to be recognized means so much to me!”

Sierra Cullars, junior English major and winner of the 2018-19 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing

BOONE, N.C. — American poet Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” The poetry of Sierra Cullars, of Claremont, was found to contain winning words — the junior English major has been awarded Appalachian State University’s 2018-19 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing.

The Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing is an annual award for Appalachian juniors or seniors enrolled full time and majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing. The competition alternates annually between the genres of prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting and screenwriting) and poetry.

Cullars, who is majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing, was awarded the $3,440 scholarship for her poems, “Ship,” “How to Never Fall in Love,” “People Watching” and “Forest Friend.”

About her award, Cullars said, “This honor is amazing. Poetry has always been something I have connected with and truly enjoyed, so for my work to be recognized means so much to me!”

The judge for the 2018-19 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship was poet Denton Loving. Loving is the author of the poetry collection “Crimes Against Birds” and editor of “Seeking Its Own Level,” an anthology of writings about water that is featured in Motes Books’ MOTIF anthology series. His work has recently appeared in literary journals River Styx, CutBank, The Kenyon Review and The Chattahoochee Review.

Leah Wingenroth, of Kill Devil Hills, was named runner-up in the 2018-19 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship competition. Wingenroth is a rising senior at Appalachian double majoring in English — with a concentration in creative writing — and gender, women’s and sexuality studies.

“It is such an honor to be recognized for my love of writing and literature. To have such personal pieces read and acknowledged is truly a wonderful feeling,” she said.

Next year’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship competition will be in prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting and screenwriting). To learn more about this scholarship and others in Appalachian’s Department of English, visit https://english.appstate.edu/students/scholarships.

About the Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing

The Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing was endowed by the Truman Capote Literary Trust and is named for the late author Truman Capote. The scholarship is awarded to a rising junior or senior Appalachian State University English major with a concentration in creative writing whose submissions of prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting and/or screenwriting) or poetry are judged to be the most outstanding works submitted to the creative writing competition. The winning student must complete a sequence of creative writing courses leading to a concentration in creative writing as part of a Bachelor of Arts in English. Learn more at https://english.appstate.edu/students/scholarships.

English (BA) - Creative Writing

Students in English (BA) - Creative Writing have success and flexibility in a variety of careers – including writing, editing, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, public relations, teaching, educational administration, law, business, library and information science, the caring professions, government and more.

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About the Department of English

The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. The department offers master’s degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education. Learn more at https://english.appstate.edu.

About the College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and locations. The college’s values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,800 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App State’s general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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