Alex Stinton has loved reading poetry since grade school, and now his love of writing it has paid off to the tune of $61,382.
Stinton’s winnings came in the form of this year’s Sophie Kerr Prize, an annual award that’s been given to the Washington College (MD) senior who demonstrates the greatest literary ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor. The prize, which is funded by an endowment from its namesake, has awarded writers with more than $1.5 million since 1968. In its inaugural year, the prize was $9,000; in 2009 it was nearly $69,000. (The amount is determined by half of that year’s income from the endowment.) It’s the largest undergraduate literary award in the country, and winners have gone on to become writers, teachers, editors and marketing professionals, and to see their work published in various formats.
Stinton, who majored in English with a minor in creative writing, beat out 31 seniors with his portfolio of 14 poems and an excerpt from his senior thesis, “The Eternal in the Poetry of W.B. Yeats.” The jury choosing this year’s winner was impressed by Stinton’s knowledge of classical works and how they were reflected in his poetry. The 23-year-old says it was in a seventh-grade language arts class that he first fell in love with the work of Wordsworth, a 19th-century English poet.
Much of Stinton’s portfolio was about his upbringing in a bayfront community in Maryland: the sounds, the water and the wildlife. As one juror said, “Many of his poems evoke a strong sense of place, most often the Eastern Shore.” In his portfolio’s introduction, Stinton wrote, “For years I have struggled with my thoughts and feelings regarding the Eastern Shore, where I was born and raised and have lived all my life. It is only now, as an adult studying poetry, that I can come to ‘write’ the Shore with reasonable amounts of confidence and creative ability.”
As for what he’ll do with the money, Stinton has made plans for a portion of it: he’s taking his girlfriend to Ireland.
Stinton says he’ll continue to write and someday would like to teach literature. In the meantime, he’ll apply to graduate school to study poetry and eventually enroll in a Master of Fine Arts program. We’re pretty sure he’ll be accepted wherever he applies!
To learn more about the Sophie Kerr Award, visit www.washcoll.edu/departments/english/sophie-kerr-legacy.
