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Interlochen Arts Academy student Sophie Bernik receives The Kenyon Review’s Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers
Bernik, a sophomore, will receive a scholarship to Kenyon College’s Young Writers Workshop and her prize-winning poem will be published in 'The Kenyon Review.'
Interlochen Arts Academy student Sophie Bernik was recently selected as the winner of The Kenyon Review’s 2022 Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers.
A second-year sophomore from Traverse City, Michigan, Bernik will receive a scholarship to Kenyon College’s Young Writers Workshop and her prize-winning poem, “Come Closer,” will be published in The Kenyon Review later this year.
"The Kenyon Review's Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers is one of the most competitive opportunities for high school poets in the country,” said Interlochen Director of Creative Writing Joe Sacksteder. “The chance for a teenage writer to see their work published in any venue is a thrill, but to have their work presented alongside professional writers in a premier and storied literary magazine is a rare blessing.”
In addition to winning the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize, Bernik recently received four awards—two Gold Keys and two Silver Keys—in the West Central Michigan Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
“The honor of witnessing Sophie's growth—from a freshman who showed up last year immediately eager to contribute to class discussion to the artistic maturity we see in 'Come Closer'—is eclipsed only by the anticipation of what's next for her,” Sacksteder said.
Founded in 2007, the Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize is presented by The Kenyon Review to recognize outstanding high school poets in grades 10 and 11. The prize is named in honor of Patricia Grodd, a passionate lover of poetry and a generous supporter of The Kenyon Review and its programs. This year’s competition was judged by acclaimed poet and essayist Molly McCully Brown.
Bernik joins a growing list of Arts Academy creative writing students who have been honored for their work, including 20 creative writing students who have been named Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the most prestigious awards for high school graduates. In 2021, seniors Madelyn Dietz and Maia Siegel earned prestigious honors, Dietz as a National Student Poet, the highest honor for youth poets in the United States, and Siegel as a winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, the largest international poetry competition for 11 to 17-year-olds.
