The Braly Award for Creative Nonfiction: "Cakes of Significance" by Lauren Gouin
Lauren Gouin wants to live in a world where mediocre, white male authors cease to be the loudest literary voice monopolizing the canon but until then, she'll continue to share her personal stories of struggle and redemption especially when helping her nine-year-old with their math homework.
The Malcolm C. Braly Creative Writing Award was established to honor the memory of Malcolm C. Braly, who was a member of the UMBC English Department until his death in 1980. Awards are made in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. More information about the Braly Award and other awards and scholarships can be found on the English department website.
Lauren was also chosen as the Creative Nonfiction section winner for Bartleby's 40th edition(UMBC's Literary Magazine) which will be released in May. When not writing, she is working towards social justice and earning her teaching certification in Secondary English.
We are very proud of Lauren and look forward to seeing her continued success!