Appalachian State University English major Jay Phillips, a junior from Charlotte, is the winner of the university’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing in poetry for 2020–21. Photo by Ellen Gwin Burnette
Appalachian State University’s Victoria Goff, a junior English major from Akron, Ohio, is the runner-up of the university’s 2020–21 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing competition. Photo submitted
BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University English majors Jay Phillips and Victoria Goff have been recognized for their poetic talents — they are the winner and runner-up, respectively, of Appalachian’s 2020–21 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing competition.
The Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship is an annual award for Appalachian juniors or seniors enrolled full time and majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing. The competition, which takes place each spring semester, alternates annually between the genres of poetry and prose (fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting and screenwriting).
Appalachian State University English major Jay Phillips, a junior from Charlotte, is the winner of the university’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing in poetry for 2020–21. Photo by Ellen Gwin Burnette
Phillips, a junior from Charlotte, was awarded a $3,649 scholarship for her poems “Only,” “Almost,” “it’s 1:54 am and i’m st*ned” and “Nigrescence.” This spring, Phillips was recognized with the 2020 Margie Idol Scholarship in poetry as part of Appalachian’s fall 2019 creative writing scholarship competition, giving her back-to-back wins in the Department of English’s fall 2019 and spring 2020 creative writing scholarship competitions.
Jacinta White, author of the poetry collection “Resurrecting the Bones: Born from a Journey through African American Churches & Cemeteries in the Rural South” and the final judge for Appalachian State University’s 2020–21 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing competition. White will appear as the first author in Appalachian’s virtual fall 2020 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series. Photo by Kristen Bryant
Poet Jacinta White, who served as the final judge for the Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship competition, said, “Jay’s poetry slams the page with such clear rawness that you’re drawn in immediately. Here, the craft of poetry serves as a container for which metaphors and history guide your gaze inside of a life — ours and the poet’s — and you’re on a journey into what may be unfamiliar. This is what great storytelling does, and Jay’s poetry does just that.”
White is the author of “Resurrecting the Bones: Born from a Journey through African American Churches & Cemeteries in the Rural South” (Press 53, 2019) and will appear as the first author in Appalachian’s virtual fall 2020 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series.
Appalachian State University’s Victoria Goff, a junior English major from Akron, Ohio, is the runner-up of the university’s 2020–21 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing competition. Photo submitted
Goff, a junior from Akron, Ohio, was recognized as the runner-up for her poems “Whirlpool,” “How to Flip a Record,” “Leaving the Living Room” and “Generation Z.”
“Inside Victoria’s poems you find more poems mirroring what is missing, what has fallen, what is broken and what has been left unsaid,” White said. “Her commanding lines whisper for us to come closer and invite us to, perhaps, see something differently.”
The Truman Capote Literacy Trust Scholarship is supported through a fund endowed by the late author’s estate to support scholarships in Appalachian’s creative writing program.
Next year’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship competition will be in prose. Learn more about this scholarship opportunity and others in the Department of English.
Jacinta White, author of the poetry collection “Resurrecting the Bones: Born from a Journey through African American Churches & Cemeteries in the Rural South” and the final judge for Appalachian State University’s 2020–21 Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing competition. White will appear as the first author in Appalachian’s virtual fall 2020 Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series. Photo by Kristen Bryant
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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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