The Mensa Foundation has announced that Cleveland journalist Carolyn Jack has been honored with the 2006 Mensa Press Award. This national award is presented to one individual each year who shows excellence in writing about intelligence and human giftedness. Carolyn won the award based on her series “The Work of Art,” published in the July 2005 Cleveland Plain Dealer. Members of the Cleveland Area Mensa group including its President, Kathryn Kerber, presented her with the $1,000 award in May 2007.
“‘The Work of Art’ offers an intriguing look into the influence that creativity has on human intelligence and the impact arts-related skills have on our daily lives,” said Greg Timmers, President of the Mensa Foundation. “It’s a brilliantly written seven-part series presented in a way that the everyday reader can appreciate the art and creativity in any activity or occupation. A series like ‘The Work of Art’ exemplifies the purpose of the Mensa Press Award.”
Carolyn Jack built her 25-year career in arts journalism on an early love for music, theater, visual art and literature. A student, writer, actor and singer, she graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina with a bachelor of arts degree in English and a master's degree in journalism. Since that time, she has served a variety of daily newspapers, magazines and specialty publishers as production director, editor, critic, columnist and reporter. In November 2006, after 14 years with The Plain Dealer as free-lance contributor, staff fine-arts editor and staff arts reporter, Carolyn left the publication to start her own online media business. She plans to use her Mensa Press Award prize money to help bolster her new business.