On April 24th, 2026, John Brown’s English Department, in collaboration with the English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, hosted its second annual Spring Readers Feast. Students and professors gathered at the event to recognize the work that was accomplished this year, and to encourage attendees for the upcoming year. Along with charcuterie cups and drinks, there were door prizes for those who attended.
Beginning the event, Adeline Gruen, the Vice President of Sigma Tau Delta, announced the eight awards that the Threefold Advocate won at the Arkansas College Media Association. Writers of the Threefold had notable placement in the category, online arts and entertainment review, with Greyson Ea winning third place for his article, “The Modern Prometheus Reimagined” and Celeste Masis Ocampo, winning first place for her article, “Latinos aren’t going Anywhere and Bad Bunny knows it.” Also, member Ivey McBurnett won third place in online news writing for her article "Home for the Holidays: How are Flight Cuts Affecting Student Travel."
In addition to the writing awards, the Threefold Advocate won five other awards. Hope Brittenham won a second and first place prize for her photos, and Alexandra Castillo Alvarez swept the online art and illustration category.
“I am so impressed by our students. They consistently show great skill and work ethic, and I'm happy that they were recognized for that. The articles, illustrations and photos are judged by experts in the field across the country, and I'm thankful they saw the value in what JBU students submitted,” Melissa Varner, the faculty advisor for the Threefold Advocate, said.
Following these recognitions, Dr. Jonathan Himes awarded junior English major, Joshua Freeman, the Panage Award for his “consistent, high-quality performance in his assignments.” This award, named after a former English faculty member, is given to one English student each year, along with a scholarship.
Arkansas’ Poet Laureate, Suzanne Rhodes, shared some poems from her 2024 collection “The Perfume of Pain.”
Following the lyrics from Rhodes, JBU’s English major writing awards were announced. For the best academic paper award, sophomore Hallee Harp won for her paper titled, “Servants of Empire: Invisible Labor and Domestic Dependencies in Imperial Homes in Belinda and Mansfield Park.” For the award of best creative writing piece, sophomore Kathryn Israel won for her prose titled, “Dusting the Epitaphs."
After the winners were announced and portions of their works were read, Sigma Tau Delta initiated two new members, Lauren Moore and Maya Rorabaugh.
“It was really sweet to spend time together as an English community,” junior Anna Young said. “I also really enjoyed hearing from the Poet Laureate. It was really cool to get to hear her insights on life and spend time in her art together.”
Photo provided by Sigma Tau Delta