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English Major Received Grant to Present Original Short Story at National Conference

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Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Kelly Lake, a Westminster College sophomore English major, received a travel/presentation grant from Westminster's Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning to present her original short story at the 24th annual National Undergraduate Literature Conference April 2-4 in Ogden, Utah.

Lake's story, "The Stroke," is a narrative of speculative fiction told from the perspective of a teenage girl as she observes peculiar occurrences in her hometown. The descriptive narrative contains little dialogue and is purposely ambiguous to challenge the reader to interpret its meaning individually. Although it is speculative and presents a dark, alternative, and practically implausible vision of the future, it is intended to be realistic in its description of human features, interactions, and emotions.

Lake is a daughter of Walter and Catherine Lake of Boardman, Ohio, and a graduate of Boardman High School.

Lake's faculty adviser is Dr. Kristianne Kalata Vaccaro, Westminster visiting assistant professor of English and a 2000 Westminster graduate.

The Drinko Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning was created to enrich undergraduate education at Westminster through advancing world-class teaching as well as by participating in collaborations that address community and regional needs including strengthening K-12 education. The Undergraduate Research Initiative provides funding for students to conduct research and to present their research at regional and national conferences.

Contact Vaccaro at (724) 946-7350 or e-mail vaccarkk@westminster.edu for additional information.