Randolph student wins best fiction writing award at international convention

Attending the Sigma Tau Delta International Conference were (from left) Elizabeth Dean ’16, Lindsay Brents ’16, Nikolas Oliver ’16, Katy Boyer ’16, Miranda Stumpf ’16, and English professor Gary Dop.

A Randolph College senior received the top fiction writing award at the Sigma Tau Delta 2016 International Convention earlier this month.

Lindsay Brents ’16 received first place in the convention’s fiction category and a cash prize of $600 for her entry, “Two Meditations on Motherhood.” One section of the piece is called “Contre Les Hommes,” which is a short story response to Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “Contre Qui, Rose?” The second section was a poem called “10 Hail Marys,” and examines the Virgin Mary from a number of different angles.

“They announced the winners at the closing dinner of the conference, so I was in that interesting state of not expecting to win, but dreamily wondering ‘what if,’” Brents said. “I was thrilled when they made the announcement, and definitely felt warm and bubbly for the rest of the night, with a healthy side of shock that a poem had helped me win the fiction category.”

Lindsay Brents ’16 reacts with English professor Gary Dop after winning the award for best fiction piece at the recent Sigma Tau Delta International Conference.

Brents wrote the two pieces she submitted during English professor Gary Dop’s Advanced Creative Writing class. She and four other Randolph students—Katy Boyer ’16, Elizabeth Dean ’16, Nikolas Oliver ’16, and Miranda Stumf ’16—were selected to present their work at the conference. Sigma Tau Delta is one of the largest honor societies in the country, with over 9,000 members in 875 chapters.

“The convention receives multiple submissions from hundreds of colleges and universities around the world, and over 1,000 participants attend the convention each year,” Dop said. “To receive the award for the top piece of fiction at a competitive international convention speaks highly of Lindsay’s work and the nurturing community of creative writers and readers we have at Randolph.”

Brents was also recognized for her writing at Randolph last fall, when she received the award for Best Arts and Letters Paper for her paper, “Constantia Dudley, Sophia Courtland, and Martinette de Beauvais: Ormond’s Subversion of Heteronormative Gothic Characteristics.” She wrote the piece for an English course called Radical Turns, taught by Heidi Kunz, English professor and assistant dean of the College.

“Lindsay is a dedicated student who invests significant time and energy into her work, and her work stands out for its freedom of content and understanding of craft,” Dop said. “As a double major in English and dance, she’s one of the busiest students I know, but she manages to find a balance of discipline and artistry in her life and work.”