Four Palm Beach Atlantic students won first and second place at the English Honor Society’s Sigma Tau Delta 2022 International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

The annual convention reviews hundreds of writing submissions from across the world and invites the top authors to be recognized and awarded for their work. PBA students Anna Rose McIntyre, Jessica Kieffer and Sarah Pouliot and alumna Sydney Bulthuis dominated in the areas of creative nonfiction, world and multi-cultural, and British and world literature.

“The convention was a fabulous opportunity to share my research and discuss ideas with other scholars, professors and writers,” said McIntyre. Her world and multi-cultural piece, “Reading Music in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes,” received first place and a $600 prize.

Kieffer received first place and a $600 prize for her British and world literature piece, “Power of the Pen: Behn’s Appropriation of Oroonoko.”

Bulthuis and Pouliot swept the creative nonfiction category. Bulthuis’ piece “Digging up the Dead” won first place and $600, while Pouliot won second place and $400 for her entry, “Rock and Paper.”

“All I hoped was that my creative essay would be accepted,” said Pouliot, “I had no idea it would win second place in my category.”

“Rock and Paper” combined two essays Pouliot wrote in a creative writing course with Professor David Athey. “This combination worked,” said Pouliot, “since they are about transformative experiences, both focusing on a change of perspective and the importance of contemplation in the midst of chaos.”

About Sarah’s writing abilities, Athey said, “Sarah loves every syllable, word and phrase, and she strives to make everything she writes a work of art, something with depth, sophistication and basic human connectivity—a real gift to her readers.”

The convention has become a highlight of PBA’s English Department. Out of the 800 competing university chapters, PBA has been named Most Outstanding Chapter three times and continues to win numerous awards at the international conference.

Associate Professor of English Dr. Carl Miller said, “their winnings serve as a testament to how talented students at PBA are and a testament to the investment PBA and the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences has made in these students.”

Pouliot said, “I am so grateful for this opportunity, which would not have been possible without Dr. Miller and Professor Athey. PBA\’s English Department is comprised of talented students and faculty. Each professor does everything in their power to help us succeed; their hard work is evident in the outcome of this convention.”