English Department's Annual Writers Bowl
By Erin Chupp
JSU News Bureau

On Wednesday, October 25, 2006 JSU welcomes nearly 300 high school students from around the state to the annual Writers Bowl, hosted by the English Department.

Schools are asked to bring students to this one-day competition in teams of six: two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors. This year, 43 teams are competing from public and private high schools as far as Montgomery.

The event is organized by Gena Christopher, Dr. Steve Whitton and Dr. Randall Davis of the English Department. Students arrive and register at 8 a.m. The teams compete in two categories: first, fiction or drama and later in the afternoon, poetry. In the past, students have been prompted to write such works as dramatic scenes, dramatic monologues and the opening scene of a book.

An awards ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. to honor groups, as well as winners from an individual essay writing competition.

Students desiring to compete individually were asked to write original expository works as part of a classroom assignment. Students were given the topic: How well do you feel your high school is preparing you for the future? These essays, which are the students’ ideas and are not to include any research, nor be a work of fiction, are being judged the week before the competition.

Gena Christopher says the event attracts quite a few high school students to JSU’s campus who might not have visited otherwise. There are students who have chosen to attend JSU after participating in the Writers Bowl.

“The high school students get the opportunity to have a fun day writing without the stresses of a grade hanging over their head,” says Christopher.

For more information, please contact Gena Christopher (782-5856), Randall Davis (782-5497), or Steve Whitton (782-5414).

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