The Department of English & Literature is proud to announce that Brianna Tongen, junior, and Sarah Lysaker, senior, took top honors in the Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) Student Writing Contest.

Brianna Tongen, First Place, Non-Fiction
“The Ashes in the Air”
From the opening sentence to the closing line, “The Ashes in the Air” commands our attention and earns our respect. The writing is essential, which reflects and reinforces the essay’s themes. “The Ashes in the Air” uses elements of non-fiction—a distinct voice, dialogue, vivid details, and grammatical styles—in a subtle, precise way that doesn’t draw attention to itself. The writer of “The Ashes in the Air” does what seems improbable; her essay contributes something vital to our layered, collective understanding of the holocaust.* Read "The Ashes in the Air"

Sarah Lysaker, Third Place, Non-Fiction
“In Search of Symbol”
“In Search of Symbol” builds as it goes, quite like the Greek Orthodox Church the writer is describing. Excellent contrasting of Greek orthodox worship with the writer’s personal (yet familiar) Protestant legacy. The writer of “In Search of Symbol” achieves a delightful combination of humor and earnestness and allows the reader to enter in to the experience without making judgments. We find ourselves considering the role of beauty in worship, recognizing our own desire for images and sensory epiphanic understandings of the divine mystery.* Read "In Search of Symbol"

*Excerpts from CCL judges citations

Three winners were chosen in the categories of poetry, non-fiction, and fiction. All winners received a selection of books, a one-year subscription to Image and a one-year membership to the Conference on Christianity and Literature.

Learn more about the CCL Student Writing Contest or the Northwestern Department of English & Literature.