We want to take another opportunity to acknowledge all of the wonderful writers who participated in our second undergraduate LED writing contest at the University of Missouri. Last Wednesday, we were lucky enough to hear from the winning writer and three fantastic finalists. We were also so pleased to see their friends, family and faculty turn out to celebrate their accomplishments.

We love hosting this event in the George Caleb Bingham Gallery — the showcase of undergraduate visual art is a perfect complement, but it seemed particularly meaningful this year. The works that were read all offered insight into the writers’ generation, into their experiences in an era of gun violence and political paralysis. It was powerful to hear these readers raise their voices in a room full of visual art through which their peers are engaging many of the same issues and ideas. Their art and writing sincerely gives us hope for a better future.

We were also fortunate to have a great photographer on hand. The photos above are from Jovani Jones.

Jovani Jones is a senior at the University of Missouri majoring in Health Science. He runs his own photography business with Fisheye Focals and can be found with a camera in hand most of time. His goal is to capture the life of the community through his photography and bring light to local talent and other venues.

Thanks again to Catherine Armbrust for hosting our event, and Jeff Wasserboehr for judging the contest!