News Release
April 2006

Moravian Names Lebensfeld Student Writing Prizes

Bethlehem, Pa., April 26, 2006—Moravian College recently announced the winners of the 2005-2006 Upper Division Lebensfeld Student Writing Prizes. The annual awards presentation is in recognition outstanding written work in several categories.

The prize for Best Academic/Scholarly Essay was awarded to Stephanie Anderson ’07, Doylestown, Pa., for “Many dragons, many problems: the effects of splintered political responsibility and the gap between official and unofficial action on water pollution and public health in China.” Honorable Mentions were merited by Brendan Wright ’06, Horsham, Pa., for “Distant Music: The Character of Gabriel Conroy and Feminist Criticism” and Amelia Dietrich ’08, East Texas, Pa., for “Queer.” The category was judged by Dean James Skalnik.

Blair Zickmund ’07, Bethlehem, Pa., received the prize for Best Personal Essay for “One for the Record Books.” An Honorable Mention was awarded to Jennifer Gillard ’07, Cheltenham, Pa., for “Top of the Sixth.”

Anderson’s short stories “Feels Like the First Time” and “Impermanent” tied for first place in the Best Short Story competition, with Wright’s “How Horatio Learned to Sing the Blues” receiving an Honorable Mention. The personal essay and short story fields were judged by a panel of Moravian College alumni writers, editors, journalists, and English teachers.

Wright also won the Best Poem prize for “Sequential.” Alexis Vergalla ’06, Glen Gardner, N.J., was awarded an Honorable Mention for “Bestiary.” The poetry division was judged by poet Paul Martin.

The winning writers received a $100 cash prize. The winning works will be published on the Moravian College English Department/Writing Center website at http://home.moravian.edu/public/eng/wc-winners.htm.

The Lebensfeld Prize is sponsored by the Moravian College Writing Center and funded through the support of the Lebensfeld Foundation of Jersey City, New Jersey. Prizes also are awarded each year for both the fall and spring semesters for the Best Writing 100 Essays. Faculty members who teach Writing 100 in the spring and fall semesters select the winning essays that are "published" in a collection called THE BEST WRITING 100 ESSAYS. A cash prize of $50 is also awarded to the student winners.