Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing

The Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing is a contest hosted annually by WKU and is open to students in an English major or minor as well as those in creative writing classes.

The contest is named after Dr. Miller who taught German language and literature at WKU for over thirty years until his death in 1996, and his wife, Professor Mary Ellen Miller, who taught poetry at WKU for 55 years until her death in 2018. Among writing essays, short stories, and plays, Dr. Miller could be best known for his poetry and numerous books including: Copperhead Cane (1964), The Mountains Have Come Closer (1980), Newfound (1989), and more. Like her husband, Professor Mary Ellen Miller was well-known for her poetry. She published many poems as well as the collection, The Poet's Wife Speaks (2011). Together with Morris Allen Grubbs, she also published Every Leaf a Mirror: A Jim Wayne Miller Reader (2014). 

For more information on Jim Wayne Miller, please visit jimwaynemiller.net.

View the list of Mary Ellen Miller & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing featured writer(s) here.

To view the Mary Ellen Miller & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2021 program click here.

Watch the 2021 Mary Ellen Miller and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing below or click here.

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The celebration was originally named after Dr. Miller, but after the passing of his wife, Professor Mary Ellen, in 2018 it was re-named the Mary Ellen and Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing.

 

 

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Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2021

Guest Poet: Amy Wright

Congratulations to the winners of the 2th annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First Place – Catherine Sheffield

Second Place –Samuel Chumbley

Third Place –Emra Mehmedovic

The other finalists for the 24th annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

        Lily Ford           Sydney Selems

        Haley Ford       Kayla Spears

        Justin Harris    Adam Woodard

        Seth Nevin

 

Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2020

Guest Poet: Joy Priest

Congratulations to the winners of the 2th annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First Place – Ella Corder

Second Place –Eli Edens

Third Place –Nia Queen Douglas

The other finalists for the 24th annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Summer Gary          Faith Harris          Kelly Lingen          Abigail Raley

Chloe Skeese Kayla Spears Gabby Wilson

 

Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2019

Guest Poet: Katy Yocom

Congratulations to the winners of the 23rd annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First Place – Alicyn Newman

Second Place –Ella Corder

Third Place –Mikaila Smith

The other finalists for the 23rd annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest were: 

Blair Correll         Cameron Fontes         Mara Lowhorn         Emra Mehmedovic

Michaela Moore Brandon Peters Adrianna Waters

 

Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2018

Celebrating the life and work of Mary Ellen Miller; readings of her poetry and of poetry and tributes written about her.

Congratulations to the winners of the 22nd annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First Place – Casey Child

Second Place – Emily Houston

Third Place – Elizabeth Crowe

The other finalists for the 22nd annual Mary Ellen & Jim Wayne Miller contest were: 

Devin Beach          Delaney Holt          Alex Huntsman          Jessica Kiehnau

Carder Venable MacLaren Williams Iman Zaghariet

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2017

Guest Poet Frederick Smock

Congratulations to the winners of the 21st annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First Place – Alicyn Newman

Second Place – Bridget Yates

Third Place – Michaela Miller

The other finalists for the 21st annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were: 

Delaney Holt          Amber Loney          Elizabeth West

Joshua Dilley Nathan Mayes Casey Child

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2016

Guest Poet: Silas House

Congratulations to the winners of the 20th annual Jim Wayne Miller (fiction) contest:

First Place – Michaela Miller

Second Place – Shaire Blythe

Third Place – Allie Call

The other finalists for the 20th annual Jim Wayne Miller (fiction) contest were: 

Mike Allen           Jessica BArksdale           Katie Glauber           Emily Houston

Madeline Kramer Megan Seitz Katy Wilkins

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2015

Guest Writer: Sallie Bingham

Congratulations to the winners of the 19th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

          First Place – David Haydon

          Second Place – Hunter Conner

          Third Place – Dakota Phelps

The other finalists for the 19th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Brittany Brown           Tanner Cole           Jocelyn Hood            Jarred Johnson

Kellie McDermott          Rachel Sudbeck          Megg Wright

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2014

Guest Poet: Morris Grubbs / Mary Ellen Miller

Congratulations to the winners of the 18th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

          First place: Derek Ellis

          Second place: Bryna Sims

          Third place: Holli Frye

The other finalists for the 18th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Britanny Eldridge          Riley Finwood          Isiah Fish          Collin Hancock

Jarred Johnson                Kyle Marshall                Savannah Osbourn

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2013

Guest Poet: Silas House

Congratulations to the winners of the 17th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Maggie Woodward

Second place: Jarred Johnson

Third place: Isiah Fish

The other finalists for the 17th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Rachel Hoge Jenn Hulsey Georgina Kleinhalter Brandy J. Meredith

Paul Richard Watson Madalyn Wilbanks Joanna Williams

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2012

Guest Poet: Ed McClanahan

Congratulations to the winners of the 16th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Krystol Stinson

Second place: Isiah Fish

Third place: Jaclyn Melcher

The other finalists for the 16th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Rachel Hoge Samara Skinner

Haley Parker Rinehart                  Maggie Woodward

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2011

Guest Poet: Frederick Smock

Congratulations to the winners of the 15th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Brittany Lee Cheak

Second place: James Mote Jr.

Third place: Krystol Stinson

The other finalists for the 16th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest were:

Isiah Fish Amy Lindsey Jaclyn Melcher Brittany Moster

Kasey Vaught Elizabeth Wells Clint Waters

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2010

Congratulations to the winners of the 14th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Molly Koeneman

Second place: Seanna Wilhelm

Third place: Andrew Marlowe Bergman

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2009

Congratulations to the winners of the 13th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Lucas Filip

Second place: Cody Tucker

Third place: Kassidy Vaught

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the 12th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Savannah Jane Tankersley

Second place: Tyler Jackson

Third place: Heather Funk

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2007

Congratulations to the winners of the 11th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Cody Tucker

Second place: Corey Bewley

Third place: Bobby Deignan

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2006

Congratulations to the winners of the 10th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place (tie): Laura Huff / Charles Jacob

Second place: Brooke Shafar

Third place: Kimberly J. Reynolds

 

Jim Wayne Miller Celebration of Writing 2004

Congratulations to the winner of the 8th annual Jim Wayne Miller contest:

First place: Alex Taylor

 

"Good poetry will deal with ordinary things...
and still manage to evoke a sense of wonder, of the miraculous."

                                    - Jim Wayne Miller

 

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