Time to Celebrate: English End-of-Year
by Beja Puškášová ’26
As it does every year, the English Department hosted its End-of-Year Celebration to honor the achievements of its beloved students and faculty on May 5th. Accompanied by a singing performance with English major senior Eva Markham ’25 and the Year in Review slideshow running in the background, the English community gathered to enjoy a celebration meal together. Department Chair Matt Burgess welcomed English majors, minors, and faculty, officially starting the evening’s program.
Matt began the night with some faculty announcements and continued on to recognize the remarkable work of our students. Students who completed Honors Projects and Capstones in the fall of 2024 and in the spring of 2025 were asked to stand. He also acknowledged the contributions of student organizations, including Chanter, MacSlams, The Mac Weekly, Spaces, Hegemonocle, and A Novel Idea.
Then, the English Honors Society officers Leah Wasson ’25, Daniel Graham ’26, and Natalie Mazey ’26, spoke briefly about the work of the honor society this year. They also introduced the new EHS officers, Lucy Flack ’27, Peyton Williamson ’27, and Paul Wallace ’27, who will be in place next year. There was special acknowledgement for Rachel Kelly who served as an officer in the Fall.
Birdie Keller ’25 and Ahlaam Abdulwali ’25 gave a shout out to the indispensable student workers, including Newsletter Editors, the Social Media Team, the Communications Liaison as well as the Office Manager and Assistants, recognizing their visible as well as behind-the-scenes support of the department that helps make us a strong community.
Next, various English faculty announced the winners of the departmental awards and prizes. The winners were called to the front to receive their certificates to the audience’s applause.
The winners of the Ardis Hillman Wheeler Prize for International Study award were Lucy Flack ’27, studying away in Granada, Spain, Lucy Holberg ’27 studying away in Scotland and Sophia Woods ’27 studying away in Argentina.
The winner, as well as the honorable mentions, for the Charles Baxter Short Story Contest were announced by Macalester’s very own Charles Baxter ’69. There were three honorable mentions: Daniel Graham for Love Letters Incorporated, Carling McQuinn ’25 for Slight Pinch, and Sam Kenney for Claudia, the Old Subaru, and Everything Inside. The winner of the Charles Baxter Short Story Contest was Birdie Keller for their short story, The Dead Bird Museum.
The Academy of American Poets Poetry Prize winner and honorable mention were highlighted for their outstanding submissions. The honorable mention was Kai Illig for their collection Saint / Stain, Trojan, and Garlands. Katherine Norquist was the prize winner for their collection Playing Horse, Bad Form, and Good Form.
The Harry Scherman Writing Award winners were celebrated for their excellence in creative prose, literary analysis, and poetry.
For the creative prose category, there were three winners: Birdie Keller’s The Dead Bird Museum, Carling McQuinn’s Ghost Town, and Alma Angantyr’s Triple Dog Dare.
For literary analysis, there were two winners. Leah Wasson’s This Masquerade is BYOB (Bring Your Own Disability): A Study of Queen Margaret’s Portrayal of Disability in Shakespeare’s Richard III and Eva Markham’s Toni Morrison’s Magical City [a city should really only be a city] took the award.
In the poetry category, there were three winners: Katherine Norquist’s Playing Horse, Lucy McNees’ Webb Lake, Maine, and Marley Craine’s Developments.
The Wendy Parish Poetry Award is given to students who exemplify a commitment to poetry and excellence in writing. The winners were: Ahlaam Abdulwali, Marley Craine, and Alma Angantyr.
The Livingston-Patnode Award is given to a graduating senior who has made significant contributions as an English major. This year’s winner is Birdie Keller.
Matt Burgess gave an inspiring toast to our seniors. Then everyone gathered for photos and to enjoy ice cream paletas to provide a sweet end to the 2024-2025 academic year for the English Department. Thank you to everyone for joining us for the warm and wonderful evening as a department.