Expressing herself through literature, senior Cara Guglielmon welcomes the crowd by reading an original piece aloud to an audience of students, faculty and local writers on Oct. 18. Guglielmon, along with several other students, participated in the reading at the Fall Literary Festival held in Cone Chapel. [Chris Hamilton] n October 18, the English department invited students to attend the annual Fall Literary Festival which was hosted each year to welcome students and to introduce their faculty. It also gave those within the department a chance to present their own works as well as be exposed to the writings of their fellow English majors. The festival, which began in 2001, was initially started by the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta. It later moved into the hands of the Scribblers creative writing club upon the arrival of Assistant Professor of English and Scribblers sponsor Dr. Terry Engel. “The main purpose is to celebrate poetry and fiction,”Dr. JohnWilliams, professor of English and department chair, said. “It gives student writers a chance to share their work.” The festival also promoted a sense of community among the writers. “I enjoy the chance to be around nerdy English people,” senior English major Nathan Shank said. “Also, it’s reassuring and good to know that people in your field are creating and succeeding.” The festival also showcased two of the English clubs on campus: Scribblers and Souvenirs, a poetry club. Scribblers invited many of its members, as well as other writers they knew, to present their writings at the festival.Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” was presented by the Souvenirs group. “It was done in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way,”Williams said. Shank portrayed Poe, getting some help from his fellow Souvenirs members for the other characters. “[Senior] Katie Cozzens acted out the role of the raven,and [sophomore] Jessica Roper pretended to be the ‘lost Lenore,’” Shank said. “It went over quite well.” TheWhite County CreativeWriters, a community group of professional and recreational writers, also attended the festival.They were able to present some of their own works, too. “We believe this is a good way to reach at the community because the students get to encourage the writers from the town and vice versa,”Engel said. Shank agreed with the importance of connecting with other writers in the community. “It’s good to connect with the White County Creative Writers,”Shank said. “It gives you a different perspective on writing.” Also, between readings, there was a musical performance. Junior Will Medders and sophomore Connor McNabb performed some of Bob Dylan’s music along with a variety of other folk music. About 75 to 100 students were in attendance, and, according to Williams, the event’s success was mainly due to Engel. “A lot of credit goes to Terry Engel,”Williams said. “He’s been instrumental in keeping [Scribblers] together.” The department looked forward to hosting the annual event in the future, seeing how it had brought the writing community together. “It has definitely strengthened the group,”Williams said. [Cesia Martinez and Jennifer Harris] Sharing Students, faculty enjoy literary experience [english/foreign languages] 177 O
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