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| Gurian Awards Aspiring Authors at Gonzaga |
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 By Kristin Sayeg -
Online Gonzaga Bulletin - Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: EntertainmentDo you have a way with words? Do you rock authorial chops? If so, the English department's new literary contest, the Michael and Gail Gurian Awards, is what you're looking for. The Gurian competition will be doling out $250 each for the finest compositions in the fields of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Michael Gurian, a Gonzaga alumnus, as well as a former adjunct faculty member, has permanently endowed the Gurian Awards. Gurian is also the founder of the Gurian Institute, which has the "mission of helping parents, educators and other professionals understand the needs of boys and girls, women and men," according to its Web site. "I have thought about doing this for a long time. I brought up the idea to my mentor, Dr. Michael Herzog, and that set things in motion," Gurian said. "I was inspired to devote my life to writing in part by winning the Costello Poetry Award in 1980. Since then, I have published 15 books of nonfiction, two novels, a book of short stories and three books of poetry." Gurian said that he and his wife Gail, also a Gonzaga graduate, offer the awards with great hope for what it may bring about. "We believe in the Gonzaga mission, and hope the award will inspire new generations of writers," Gurian said. Until last year, the Costello Poetry Award gave $100 to the author of the best poem. The Costello Award has since been changed to a prize for the most distinguished senior English major. Unlike the Gurian Awards, it did not take fiction or nonfiction submissions. "Gail and I hope students will enjoy seeing the fruits of their labors not just in poetry but in fiction and nonfiction too," Gurian said. "Each form has its challenges. Each form deserves intense effort and praise. Writers of our era need to be chameleons. There's no time like college to try to excel in all possible crafts and forms." Dr. Tod Marshall, associate professor of English, is also optimistic about the Gurian Awards. "We expect a great turnout for this contest," Marshall said. "For the Costello Poetry Awards last year, there were 35 entries, so we're expecting more this year." Marshall also spoke positively of the contest's expansion into new literary genres, saying it is intended "to celebrate writing in different genres." "We have great prose writers who weren't getting any distinction," Marshall said. According to the flier for the Gurian Awards, submissions are limited to 3,500 words and must be submitted with "two typed, double-spaced copies of your entry with a title and pseudonym in a header that appears on every page; attach a sealed envelope that contains your actual name and your pseudonym." Entries are to be given to the English department located in Robinson House. Each submitter is restricted to one submission per genre, and only Gonzaga students are eligible. All entries will also be considered for publication in "Reflection" and "Charter," Gonzaga's literary/artistic and academic publications, respectively. The deadline for submission was 3 p.m. on Feb. 29, 2008. Editor
Rod Aminian contributed to this article.
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