Poetry Reading

On May 14th, the English Graduate Student Association and the University Writing Center jointly hosted an evening of readings from students and professors. Creative Writing Professors Kathy Whitcomb, Judith Kleck, Lisa Norris, and Joe Powell all read selections from previously published work or newly written pieces. Three graduate students shared their poetry at the event, and seven undergraduates read their poems as well. All in all, it was a successful and enjoyable evening of sharing personal work and socializing with colleagues, classmates, and students. Coffee was provided by Starbucks, and desserts and fruit were provided for the participants and attendees.

Published Authors Process Series

During Winter Quarter of 2008 the Writing Center hosted a "Published Authors Process Series". Jeremy Vetter talked about his experience writing and publishing his short story 'The Lovers' (published in the Sonora Review, which nominated the story for a Pushcart Prize). Brian Paul Bach discussed his experiences writing and publishing The Grand Trunk Road: from the front seat, and Calcutta's edifice: the buildings of a great city.

Poetry Jam

The Writing Center began hosting a monthly Poetry Jam during Fall Quarter of 2006. The Jams were free and open to the public. Each poet was given three words around which to build a poem to perform that evening. Judges determined the winners of prizes, which typically were gift certificates to local stores. During the 2006-2007 school year the sponsors included Albertsons and Jerrol's.

ON WRITING

In the Spring of 2007 the University Writing Center hosted "ON WRITING," an evening of creative expression by students from the English and Art Departments: In keeping with postmodernism's engagement with appropriation, the artists featured in ON WRITING created tableaux which "quote" imagery from allegorical sources, creating resonant moments in time. The artists were encouraged to develop a site-specific frame within which to explore the theme of writing. The artists chose venues in Hertz Hall that control the viewer's access, viewing time, and perspective. Through this dialog with writing, they showcased the inherent flexibility among artistic disciplines, while drawing attention to the University Writing Center, a valuable resource for the CWU community. Performance art is inherently a hybrid cultural practice. From its modern inception in the 1970s, performance art has drawn practitioners from a variety of fine arts, including writing. The allegorical tableau is a fundamental device in performance art. The Faculty Hosts for this event were Brian Goeltzenleuchter, from the Department of Art, and Katharine Whitcomb, of the Department of English. The Writing Consultant Host was Seanse Ducken.

Discussions with Published Authors

Also in the Spring of 2007 the Writing Center sponsored two discussions with published authors. The first was with Katharine Whitcomb. She discussed her experiences writing her poetry collection "Saints of South Dakota and Other Poems", winner of the Bluestem Poetry Award in 2000. The second was Neil Alan Caulkins. He talked about writing his law review article "A Fiduciary's Duties When a Celebrity Persona is the Asset" (published in the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts).

Reading the Painting

During Spring Quarter 2006, the Writing Center hosted "Reading the Painting," an art show and poetry reading by Central students, in collaboration with the Art and English departments.