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March 14, 2026

Centreville Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Centreville

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Poet Shines Bright Winning Sophie Kerr Award: A Chat with Elyie Sasajima

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The mere opening of an envelope changed the life of Washington College graduating senior Elyie Sasajima last Friday night.

The envelope, unsealed by Washington College President Michael Sosulski, held a check for $80,000, this year’s annual sum for the Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate award in the country given to a graduating senior showing the “ability and promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor.” The award is larger than the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Ward combined.

Sasajima is the 55th recipient of the prize first given in 1968 as stipulated by Sophie Kerr’s will and part of the larger endowment used for nurturing the literary environment at the College by funding visiting writers, underwriting student publications, offering scholarships, and buying books.

Sasajima, from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, found her way to Washington College when a family member and alumnus recommended that the recent high school graduate consider applying for a Sophie Kerr Scholarship to attend the Cherry Tree Writers Workshop.

She received the scholarship, attended the workshop, and immediately felt drawn to the College’s literary atmosphere.

For four years, Sasajima immersed herself as an English major with minors in Creative Writing, Journalism Editing & Publishing, and Medieval & Early Modern Studies, along with evaluating poetry submissions for Washington College’s literary journal, Cherry Tree, and editing Collegian, the student-run literary and art journal.

Sasajimi plans to continue working as an intern at Alan Squire Publishing in Bethesda, a job she started during her last semester at college while she considers graduate degree programs abroad.

The Spy interviewed the young writer minutes after the award ceremony.

This video is approximately six minutes in length. For more about the Sophie Kerr legacy, go here.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Monster of Gunpowder River: A Chat With Author Michael Stang

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One thing the hardships of the pandemic forced us to do was to determine how to spend our time during its long months of self-isolation and monotony. For creatives, the long blocks of time held a silver lining—time to explore their art form.

For retired emergency room physician Michael Stang, the pandemic’s mandatory partitioning of life offered a chance to rekindle his lifelong affection for writing. 

That love for writing, meditative walks along the Gunpowder River north of Baltimore, and a fascination with regional history led to a series of ideas Stang began to shape into stories.

The result was The Monster of Gunpowder River and Other Fabrications, a collection of seven short stories Visionary Art Museum director Rebecca Hoffberger calls “seven wonder stories, each structured upon a skeleton of geographic and historic truths…and gifted breath by the pure power of imagination.”

Michael Stang will share his stories on Wednesday, May 31, at 6 m at The Retriever Bar as part of the Bookplate ongoing Authors and Oysters series. 

For more event details, contact The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or [email protected]. This event is free and open to the public, and reservations are not required, however the event on 6/14 with Smithsonian curator, Eleanor Harvey, will require reservations to guarantee a seat. Reserve your space by calling the shop at 410-778-4167. The next Authors & Oysters is scheduled for 6/7 with local favorite Jamie Kirkpatrick. All events are held in the back room of The Retriever, located at 337 ½ High Street in Chestertown, Maryland. 

This video is approximately five minutes in length.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Some of Talbot Mentors’ Young Scholars take a Look at Washington College

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Students from the Talbot Mentors Scholars Program, accompanied by one mentee and a guest student, recently embarked on a day-long tour of Washington College. The purpose of the tour was to provide them with a glimpse of academic and campus life beyond high school.

This tour was organized as part of an ongoing partnership between Talbot Mentors and Washington College, aimed at exposing young scholars to various academic pathways. Another component of the partnership is a tutoring program wherein Washington College students provide academic support to Talbot Mentor students in the areas of language arts and math.

The tour was led by Pat Nugent, the Director of Civic Engagement at Washington College, along with Kentavius Jones, the Director of the Talbot Mentor Program, and Dr. Allyson DeMaagd, the College Success Manager. The students had the opportunity to explore different academic centers, including The Writing Center, O’Neill Literary House and Press, as well as the dormitories and other campus facilities. The day concluded with lunch at the college dining hall.

For the past 25 years, Talbot Mentors has been committed to addressing barriers to success for Talbot County students through nurturing mentoring relationships. In 2020, they introduced the Scholars Program (formerly known as Mid-Shore Scholars) as a key initiative. This program holds significant importance within the organization, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that 100% of their scholars gain admission to college, remain enrolled, and successfully graduate.

The meeting took place at the Rose O’Neill Literary House, where author and Assistant Director Roy Kesey introduced the students to “the writers’ life” and explained why the Lit House cultural hub was a valuable experience for aspiring writers and artists.

Next, the group had a meeting with Rachel Rodriguez, the Director of the Writing Center, who explained how college students could benefit from the assistance of peer writing consultants for any writing project they undertake.

The Spy interviewed Dr. Allyson DeMaagd, attended part of Rachel Rodriguez’s introduction to the Writing Center, and interviewed scholar Jose Norris.

This video is approximately five minutes in length. To find out more about Talbot Mentors, go here.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.