Cumings, Calista Award
An ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ schoolteacher who taught math with poetry, Calista Cumings created and edited ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ's earliest successful literary magazine, The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Offering. Working with limited assistance, inadequate funding, and an inexperienced local publishing industry, she provided a forum for Midwestern authors to exchange original literature in 1849 and 1850. Her magazine only survived for twelve monthly numbers, but Cumings' editorial work, characterized by a "clear head" and a "kind heart," was fondly remembered for many decades.
To honor Calista Cumings, $100 will be awarded to the student at The ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ who authors the best scholarly work on American literature before 1900. Submissions will be limited to works written within the calendar year previous to the call for submissions, and a committee of English Department faculty will judge the essays. The winner will be recognized at the annual English Awards Reception.
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