Three creative writing students at Itawamba Community College were among those who gathered on the Holmes Community College Ridgeland Campus April 12 to receive their accolades as winners in the 2019 Mississippi Community College Creative Writers Association competition. One of them hails from Franklin County.

The winners included Mary-Elizabeth Moore of Red Bay, who took first place in the drama category for “Over Your Shoulder.” She was joined by fellow students Cierra Tucker of Tupelo, third place in drama for “Sam Jones and the Order of the Dodecahedron” and Mikayla Powell of Amory, honorable mention in poetry for “Me, Too.”

The competition included seven categories: poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, literary essay, best professionally-printed journal and best in-house journal.

Judges included Dr. Don Hubele, English professor and chair of the Belhaven University English Department; Paula Lambert, literary and visionary artist and author; Phyllis W. Seawright, assistant professor of communication/theatre at Mississippi College; Michael Farris Smith, award-winning author; and Marshall Ramsey, author, syndicated cartoonist, radio/television host and editor at-large for Mississippi Today.

Moore, a 2018 RBHS alum, was also recently honored among top ICC scholars during An Evening of Celebration: Honoring Academic Excellence Across the Curriculum. Moore was recognized for her academic excellence in the theatre and fine arts division.