A woman with cerebral palsy received the nation’s highest paying literary award for an undergraduate student thanks in part to a witty set of writings on dating and disability.
Hailey Reissman, 22, received the Sophie Kerr Prize last weekend at her graduation from Washington College in Chestertown, Md. The annual award stems from a donation given by Kerr, an author, to the college for a senior with literary promise. Worth $64,243 this year, it is the most profitable of any literary award given to a student in a bachelor’s degree program.
Reissman, an English major, submitted an 88-page portfolio to the review committee. But it was a series of pieces titled “I Have Cerebral Palsy and David Mamet Reveals What I Imagine The Friends Of The Guy I Am Dating Will Say When He Tells Them About Me, In Three Brief Monologues” that the judges said made her work stand out among 24 applications.
Reissman said she’s not sure what she’ll do with the prize money, aside from paying off some college loans, reports The Baltimore Sun. To read more click here.
