Reed Hagan ‘27 won the Glory of the Senses: Paul Engle Essay Contest from the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature with his essay “Taste of July,” which he wrote in just 30 minutes.

Hagan was introduced to this competition through a social media post his mom came across. He agreed to write an essay for it, but the task slipped his mind until the day it was due. 

“The day before [the essay] was due, she asked me, ‘Is that thing you wrote ready?’ I hadn’t even started on it, but I said, ‘Oh yeah, it’s totally ready.’ In a panic mode, I wrote something out quick in 30 minutes,” Hagan said.

The UNESCO City of Literature organization holds an annual writing contest for high school sophomores. The contest is based on the writings of Paul Engle, the longtime director of the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop and co-founder of U of I’s International Writing Program. Contestants are asked to write about an Iowa experience, paying “special attention to include details that evoke the sight, sound, smell, taste and touch of your memory.”

Hagan was inspired by a fishing trip he went on when he was young. He drew lots of sensory details from that day, creating a sensational nostalgic story.

“It’s all about senses, that immediately translates to imagery for me. Earlier that day, I had walked past a pond. [I thought] I could probably do a ton of sensory imagery about that,” Hagan said.

“Definitely nostalgic for me, like most memories from when you’re young. I hadn’t been to that pond in like five years, so it was fun looking back on that while I was writing it.” Hagan said. 

The contest traditionally has been open to high school sophomores. Next year, the contest will be opening up to sophomores and juniors. 

Three runners-up from around Iowa received $500 scholarships. The runners-up were Riviera Foley from Highland High School, Keira Mueller from Ankeny High School and Lucy Wolf from Bettendorf High School. 

Read Hagan’s essay here.