He received a master's degree in English with a creative writing concentration from CMU in 1977. Never forgetting his appreciation for the guidance he received from his CMU instructors, Jett found a way to give back to the English department and inspire students to pursue excellence in creative writing.

To celebrate APRIL IS POETRY MONTH, and to encourage the efforts of the creative writing program and students at Central Michigan University, he created the POETRYJETT.COM / APRIL IS POETRY MONTH prize in 2003.

"I wanted to promote poetry and inspire students in the creative writing program," said Whitehead. "Creative writers often do not have many avenues for getting kudos for their work, so I thought this might be a way to give encouragement to them.

"It's also a way to recognize their writing as being more than just a class assignment. My goal is to see the program grow and continue in longevity," he said.

The prize is open to any Central Michigan University student who has enrolled in a creative writing class during the current academic year.  The prize is given for a single poem written during that academic year, and the award is presented at a public poetry reading on CMU's campus during the month of April.  The judge is a member of the creative writing faculty of CMU.

To date we have given $1800 to creative writing students to reward them for their dedication to the craft.
 

2003
Andrea Devenney
$100

2003
Bonnie Kahn, Delta College
$100

2004
Cara Swaney
$100