Emily Harman, a graduate student poet at the University of Montana, was awarded the Merriam-Frontier Award for her poetry collection “Surface Tension,” according to an April 2 announcement. The award includes $2,500 and a public reading scheduled for April 15 in the Poetry Corner of UM’s Mansfield Library.
The recognition highlights the university’s commitment to supporting creative writing and its students. Harman said, “Getting to tell my father’s story, my family’s story and my own story through these poems is an immense privilege, one that I don’t take for granted. I’m truly honored to receive this award, and I’m so grateful to the judges for their attentive read of my manuscript and their trust in my work.”
The judging panel praised Harman’s collection by saying: “In her collection, ‘Surface Tension,’ Harman writes with subtle restraint about the grief following a father’s suicide. Her poems explore loss while honoring the lives that continue around it – lives that open rather than close. These emotionally complex and well-crafted poems reveal fresh insights into the ways an unexpected death touches every aspect of life.” They added: “In her opening poem, ‘Occlusion,’ she writes, ‘Even now / I have trouble trusting / what I can not hold,’ as if through a warped lens, tenderly revisiting and revising memories from before an unexpected loss.”
Harman is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in UM’s Creative Writing Program. She teaches creative writing classes at UM and serves as poetry editor for CutBank literary journal. Her poetry has appeared or will appear in several journals including Shō Poetry Journal and Bellingham Review.
The Merriam-Frontier Award has recognized outstanding student writers since its establishment by H.G. Merriam in 1982. Merriam joined UM in 1919 after being part of America’s first class of Rhodes Scholars and later helped found Frontier magazine with his students.
According to the official website, the University of Montana operates as a public research university offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through established admissions processes. The university accommodates more than 11,000 students across various programs; it also provides online learning options extending beyond Missoula campus boundaries according to its official website. The institution emphasizes academic excellence along with hands-on education within an inclusive environment set against picturesque surroundings according to its official website.
Reflecting on her experience at UM following news of her award win Harman said: “I just feel so lucky to get to write alongside such a brilliant, generous and supportive cohort and community.”