Lavon Brosseau of Concordia, Kansas, established the Jack and Lavon Brosseau Creativity Awards to honor University of Kansas students who produce a high caliber of creative undergraduate work. Her ultimate goal in establishing this award is to encourage and reward the caliber of creative work that, if properly nurtured, has the potential to influence the cultural contributions of an emerging generation.
A multidisciplinary selection committee has recently announced this year’s honorees: Sarah Stern, majoring in Journalism and Latin American Studies, for her photography project documenting life in Rocinha, Brazil; Shawn Patterson, majoring in English and Linguistics, for an original collection of poetry recognized for its sophisticated use of repetition, sound, space, and punctuation; and Jenny Curatola, majoring in Theatre Performance, English, and Global & International Studies while pursuing a minor in Italian. Curatola has written and staged One Wild and Crazy Life, a play exploring attitudes toward aging.
Honorable mention goes to Thomas Birdeno for his short story, "How to Grieve a Dead Dog," and Anna Davis and Amanda Schneider for their collaborative installation titled Hello Mother: Just a few lines so that you know I am fine.
“It is a giant step in the right direction to reward students for their creative skills expressed in compositions in either prose and/ or poetry,” says Brosseau. “If you keep encouraging kids this way— with a little praise— you may well awaken a new Mark Twain or Walt Whitman. They are out there somewhere!”
Sarah Stern
Rocinha, Brazil
Media Release
Shawn Patterson
Original collection of poetry.
Media Release
Jenny Curatola
One Wild and Crazy Life
Media Release
Thomas Birdeno
How to Grieve a Dead Dog
Anna Davis and Amanda Schneider
Hello Mother: Just a few lines so that you know I am fine