Students earn awards at literary festival

The works of three students from the University of North Georgia (UNG) Department of English were recognized for their excellence during the Southern Literary Festival at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, held April 9-11. There were students from 18 other universities from around the Southeast.

Theodore Lopata's poem "Attachment Styles" won first place in the poetry category. Lopata graduated in May with a degree in English with a concentration in literature and a minor in linguistics.

Ashley Tunnell's "Ward" received first place in the one-act play category, and Tunnell said the recognition meant a great deal to her.

"Writing is something I care deeply about, so having my work recognized felt both validating and motivating," Tunnell said. "This is my third year participating in the Southern Literary Festival, and each experience has offered incredible opportunities to grow as a writer."

Tunnell credits Dr. Ezekiel Black, assistant professor; James McEver, senior lecturer; and Kathleen Snow, senior lecturer, with being "incredibly supportive and encouraging."

"Their guidance and belief in my work have played a huge role in motivating me to continue submitting my work and challenging myself," Tunnell said. "I'm planning to pursue a graduate program in creative writing. I recently finished my first full manuscript, and I'm hoping to get it in front of a publisher by the end of this year. I'm excited to keep developing my voice and exploring new opportunities in writing and publishing.”

Tunnell is a senior from Blairsville, Georgia, pursing a degree in English with a concentration in writing and publication. 

Third place in the one-act play category went to Daniela Guedez for her work "The Nature of Deceit." She wrote the piece as an assignment in the "Great Villains of Literature" class with Dr. Ian Afflerbach, an associate professor American literature who encouraged her to submit her work. 

"The assignment was to write a dialogue between a character of our choosing and any villain, with the goal of exploring the villain's motivations. I chose Iago because we had read 'Othello' earlier in the semester, and I paired him with Socrates due to his way of examining others' reasoning," Guedez said. "I wrote the piece in iambic pentameter to echo the style of 'Othello.' The piece is meant to be an answer to why Iago appears to lack motivation for his evil during the play."

Afflerbach said he was particularly impressed by the modeling of Shakespearean style of writing.

"Lines were set into iambic pentameter and displayed a whole medley of images and rhetorical moves that would be right at home in a tragedy. It was such an impressive performance that I recommended Daniela revise it for submission somewhere," he said. "I was thrilled to hear she'd won an award from the Southern Literary Festival."

Guedez said she was grateful to attend the festival and present her work alongside very talented peers.

"In the future, my professional writing will likely focus on nonfiction and historical research. However, I will continue writing creatively as a personal passion," she said.

Guedez is a senior from Sugar Hill, Georgia, pursuing a degree in history and minor in English.

"Daniela also assisted by Reyes and Tunnel, expertly read her whole play, a great feat considering the intense, extended philosophical debate between the main characters, Iago and Socrates."

UNG is scheduled to host the festival in 2028.