The English Department congratulates the winners of the 10th Annual Karen McKinnon Poetry Awards! Our deep gratitude to Karen McKinnon for her generous gift which funds this annual award. And many thanks to this year’s faculty judges, Stephen Benz, Aeron Haynie, and Scarlett Higgins, as well as to our faculty Contest Coordinator, Diane Thiel.
1st Place: Margaret Carriedo, “Premature Grief”
Margaret Carriedo is currently a junior at the University of New Mexico pursuing a degree in English with a minor in philosophy. She enjoys writing poetry and creative fiction. The only things she loves more than reading is her family and five dogs.
2nd Place: Sophia Eagle, “Premeditation”
Sophia Eagle is in her final semester at UNM, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English and minoring in Native American Studies. She has been an avid reader and writer since childhood and enjoys writing poetry and drawing in her free time. She hopes to be a successful author in the future.
3rd Place: Julie Linder, “Je ne suis pas la fille de mon pere” (I am not my father’s daughter)
Julie Marie Linder is an undergraduate student at the University of New Mexico, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in French. Her writing explores themes of identity, inheritance, and voice, often drawing from personal and intergenerational experiences. She is the author of the children’s book, Calico Zebra and the nonfiction work, Digital Age Skills for Analog Age Minds. She is currently working with an editor on a high-fantasy novel series, written under a pen name, centered on legacy, power, and belonging. She is also working on a poetry collection, The Unsaid Inheritance. Her poetry has been recognized for its emotional depth and clarity of voice.
