Arrington Writing Awards Open to College Students

Leonard J. Arrington was a noted educator, writer and scholar. A lecture in his name is presented annually, and a writing competition for college-age students encourages a continuation of Arrington?s scholastic tradition and legacy. Attractive cash awards totaling $1,750 are presented to the top three students who submit essays, with a first place award of $1,000 and $500 and $250 going to second and third places. A panel of judges evaluates all entries.

College students throughout the region are encouraged to participate in the 2009 Leonard J. Arrington Writing Awards, an associated activity of the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lecture. The lecture, presented Oct. 1, features speaker Kathleen Flake, who presents ?The Emotional and Priestly Logic of Plural Marriage.?

Students must complete an essay after attending the lecture where official entry forms are available. The essay submission should include notes from the lecture. Students should write a 2,500-word essay related to the lecture, including a one-page synopsis of the lecture. A minimum of two outside research sources, including books, articles, newspapers and primary documents should be included in a bibliography (not part of the 2,500 words). The essay topic should relate to the lecture topic, but can expand or create new connections. The writing style can be expository, persuasive or reflective, but not fiction. Submission deadline is 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 11.

The writing contest and lecture are sponsored by Utah State University?s Special Collections and Archives, Merrill-Cazier Library; the Leonard J. Arrington Lecture and Archvies Foundation; and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at USU.

The 2009 Arrington Lecture is presented Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m., at the Logan LDS Tabernacle (50 N. Main Street, Logan). Prizes for the writing contest may not be awarded if no submissions are deemed worthy. Detailed requirements will be included in the entry form provided at the lecture. Judging is conducted by USU faculty and staff, and winning essays will be selected early in spring semester 2010. Information on the contest is available through USU?s Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, (435) 797-0299. Entries should be submitted to Old Main, Room 341 on the USU campus, or mail to: Mountain West Center for Regional Studies, 0735 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-0735.

Kathleen Flake, this year?s lecturer, is an associate professor of American Religious History in the Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She is the author of ?The Politics of Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle,? University of North Carolina Press, 2004.