TU’s writers are ready to make themselves heard. Wednesday’s Creative Writing open mic, “Writing Out Loud,” featured a number of TU students who volunteered to share their work with others.
The event, held in the cozy environment of one of the McFarlin Library’s study rooms, featured works ranging from prose to poetry to song.
The open mic was organized by Michael Wright, director of the Interdisciplinary Program in Creative Writing at TU. In the future, Wright hopes to hold similar events once per semester.
Though the event was somewhat small, it was not at all exclusive. Despite having no connections to TU’s creative writing program, we were greeted, welcomed and enthusiastically offered pizza immediately upon our arrival.
Students sprawled on ornate sofas and plastic chairs, munching on pizza and chatting amongst one another. The atmosphere was warm, informal and friendly, perfect for an evening that would involve the sharing of personal work.
Each student had a unique perspective to share, in the form of modern free verse, short stories, song, even poetry reminiscent of the works of centuries past.
The students who courageously shared their work with others were not only talented writers but also performers. Some works decidedly fell into the category of slam poetry, while others were simply well-written and well-read prose with dramatic pauses at the appropriate places and just enough emotion to make the pieces authentic.
As entertaining as it was to listen to each piece of writing, it was almost as much fun just to see the different performing styles. Some had their writing memorized, others did not. All presented beautifully.
It was a treat to listen to the words of my peers. I love that “Writing Out Loud” gave TU students a judgment-free, encouraging setting in which to share their work with others—something that can be surprisingly difficult to come across.
I was touched by the stories they had to tell and left speechless after some of the more thought-provoking pieces. I left the study lounge with thoughts tumbling about in my head and the urge to pick back up some old writing of my own.
I definitely intend to visit the next open mic this coming spring semester. Unsurprisingly, I’m impressed with the talent that TU has to offer. Here’s to hoping we’ll see more of it in the near future.
