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WKCTC Professor is Kentucky Arts Council 2016 Emerging Artist

WKCTC

A Paducah creative writing professor is one of the Kentucky Arts Council’s 2016 Emerging Artists.

Britton Shurley is dean of Humanities, Fine Arts and Social Sciences and associate professor of English at West Kentucky Community and Technical College.  

“It’s exciting to know that my work struck such a chord with the Arts Council committee and to be named alongside these other fine writers,” said Shurley. “If you look at the work they are doing, and the work of this year’s Al Smith Fellowship recipients, you can clearly see the abundance of quality literature being produced throughout the Commonwealth.”
Shurley is one of six Kentucky artists recognized this year for creating original work in literature or choreography being in the first ten years of their careers.  

The other 2016 recipients are Daviess County resident Joey Connelly for poetry, Jefferson County residents Ann DeVilbiss, Dave Harrity and Mary Elizabeth Pope for poetry and Jefferson County resident Dominic Russ-Combs for fiction.

Each award recipient will receive a $1,000 award. 

Shurley also received in the award in 2011 for his poetry work.  

Shurley has taught at WKCTC for eight years and has published work in several literary journals.  He also serves as faculty editor for the college’s journal which allows students to publish their work before a national readership.  

The Emerging Artist Award rotates disciplines each year with the next round of awards to be given to artists working in the visual and media arts.  The deadline to apply is February 15, 2017.   

Rob Canning is a native of Murray, KY, a 2015 TV Production grad of Murray State. At MSU, he served as team captain of the Murray State Rowing Club. Rob's goal is to become a screenwriter, film director or producer and looks to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie for inspiration. He appreciates good music, mainly favoring British rock n' roll, and approves of anything with Jack White's name on it. When not studying, rowing or writing, Rob enjoys spending his free time with a book or guitar.
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