The Mississippi University for Women campus saw a dozen renowned writers present their work in front of captivated crowds, but the highlight for Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science students and faculty may have been getting to see their own students read in front of those same crowds.

On Thursday, October 19, 2017, the 29th-annual Eudora Welty Symposium began with Daniel Wallace, well-known author of “Big Fish,” in Poindexter Hall on the MUW campus. Wallace, who was touring with his new novel “Extraordinary Adventures,” opened the symposium with a reading about his mother that kept the crowd entertained. “I was so honored to be invited back, when I go places I’m never asked to return,” Wallace joked to begin the evening.

Even though many other famous writers of fiction, non-fiction poetry read over the next two days, the spotlight shone on five deserving high school writers on Friday.

Four MSMS students were awarded the Eudora Welty Ephemera Prize for High School Creative Writing and six other students were designated as Honorable Mention. The four winners were Amber Jackson, Michelle Luo, Alex Monterde and Helen Peng. The Honorable Mention students included Allyson Epsy, Victoria Gong, Anjeli Hoskins, Indu Nandula, Jagger Riggle and Mariat Thankachan. The Eudora Welty Ephemera Prize for High School Creative Writing is named in honor of Mississippi University for Women alumni Eudora Welty and for one of the MUW’s early creative writing journals.

Indu explained how the process motivated her. “I received Honorable Mention and although I didn’t win the award, it inspired me. I was able to listen to other authors and you know everyone has a different writing style or perspective. It was a great experience.”

The prize is sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literature, and Philosophy at MUW, and a $200 prize is awarded to the top five entries. Prize winners read their works Friday, October 20, at the afternoon session, where the Honorable Mention recipients were recognized as well. In addition, the students are invited to lunch with the authors from the Symposium.  The judges this year were James E. Cherry and Jacqueline Trimble, who were featured at this year’s symposium.

Amber Jackson elaborates on the experience affected her. “The experience humbled me. I really didn’t expect to win, but I did. It was cool being around authors and finding out their passions and what started them writing. It also inspired me to keep writing, even though that’s not something I would like to major in when I go to college. It was amazing being around such passionate and artistic people.”