Fourth-year Honours English student Katie Witten, from Ottawa, Ontario received the national Christian writer’s Fresh Ink award for her poem Suspension. This award is presented to Canadian university students by The Word Guild, Canada’s largest Christian

Katie first heard about this opportunity when The Word Guild executive director, Ruth Thorogood visited her writing class at Redeemer last year. The contest presented Katie with the perfect opportunity to share her talent with the broader Christian writing community. Katie’s ambition towards excellence was well implemented as her judge states, “Katie Witten’s poem resonated immediately. I loved her fresh voice.”

When asked about the process of her poem Suspension, Katie writes, “In a song that voices exactly how I feel, or in a poem where I can’t stop reading a simple sentence over and over again, I have sensed urgency behind the artist’s work which has influenced me to write with great urgency in my own work. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work one on one with wonderful professors at Redeemer who help, advise and encourage me in my writing.”

As the winner of Fresh Ink, she received free admission to the Write Canada conference including a private lunch with a professional of her choice, a cash prize of $100, and free membership to The Word Guild. She has also built connections with writers across Canada and set herself on a great track towards finding her place as a strong voice in North American culture.

“Across Canada, [The Word Guild] is seeing increased quality and passion for writing from university students,” writes Thorogood. “The future of Christian writing is held in the hearts and minds of these young adults and youth.”