29th annual Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing set for Oct. 15

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Western Kentucky University English Department is celebrating 10 finalists of the 29th annual Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Martens Alumni Center.

According to WKU, the evening will start with a cocktail reception followed by the announcement of the contest winners and a reading by writer Tammy Oberhausen.

Oberhausen is a Kentucky-born writer and a Hilltopper, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from western Kentucky before earning her MFA from Spalding University.

Her debut novel, “The Evolution of the Gospelettes,” was edited by Silas House and published in 2024 by The University Press of Kentucky.

She states that while working as a book editor and teacher and raising two daughters, she kept coming back to a story about a family of gospel singers that wouldn’t let her go. After three decades of developing her draft and writing and rewriting that story, the Gospelletes finally made their debut. The book went on to be named a Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year.

The 10 undergraduate finalists were chosen by a panel of WKU English professors. The finalists will participate in a workshop with Oberhausen.

The following list includes the finalists:

• Alli Albarez
• Diego Alcaraz-Monje
• Andrew Dover
• Carly Fawcett
• Selma Grahic
• Avery Hunt
• Saoirse May
• Shayla Reynolds
• Lily Supinski
• Chesney Wright

If you would like to know more about the events happening in the WKU English department, visit the WKU English Department website and its Calendar of Events.