Writers, scholars, students and professors came together this past week on Thursday, Oct. 20, to celebrate the National Day on Writing. To celebrate at Keene State College, the Center for Writing on-campus held an event in the Atrium Conference Room to commemorate the national holiday.
In 2009, the U.S. Senate established the National Day on Writing as an official day, and has been celebrated at schools across the country since then, KSC included.
The event offered several writing prompts and activities for anyone passing through to participate in.
One such prompt was a six word memoir, in which passersby were asked to tell their life story in only six words. Collected memoirs included: “A great idea with no execution,” “My service puppy saved my life,” “Loving mom of two great men” and “Kanye has got nothing on me.”
Other prompts included a two sentence horror story, pictures needing captions and hashtags such as “#whyIwrite” and “#whereIwrite.” Word games like Bananagrams, word searches and word puzzles were also provided.
Director at the Center for Writing and associate professor for English at KSC Kate Tirabassi was a driving force in setting up and running the five hour event.
According to Tirabassi, parts of the day were really busy with full classes coming through and students stopping by on their way to and from class.
“This is an opportunity to really celebrate the amount of writing we all do. I don’t think we realize how much we write,” Tirabassi explained.
Tirabassi added, “We like to offer a creative space.”
Meridith King/ Equinox Staff
Liesl Miller is a KSC senior and a tutor at the Center for Writing who was present at the event last week.
Miller, who is an English major, said that she really enjoyed celebrating the National Day on Writing, and that she thought it was a fun way to get students and professors alike excited about writing.
“I think it was mostly just a nice way for students to get to know some of their peers and hang out for a bit, but they probably also took away some knowledge about writing as well,” Miller said.
Miller said she believes that these kinds of events are important on campus because they let students know about different groups and resources available to them.
“Events like these are how I got involved [as a tutor],” Miller stated.
According to Miller, all students should get more excited about writing.
Miller said, “Writing is important to me, mostly because I want to make a career out of it. It’s important because I love to read, and writing is also an awesome way to express your thoughts.”
Like Miller, KSC senior Sophia Olsen also tutors at the Center for Writing on-campus.
When asked about the National Day on Writing event, Olsen said, “Simply put, fun is important to have, and it’s a fun event.”
Olsen continued to say she thought celebrating the ability to write is important for a variety of different reasons.
“People undermine and underestimate how important writing is and how much of a privilege it is to be able to write,” Olsen stated. “Being able to write gives you an opportunity to use your voice. In our country in particular, we have the freedom of speech, which is such a privilege, and especially important during this election. Being able to use your voice and words to make a difference is incredibly important.”
Tirabassi added that the event, in part, was held to raise awareness about the Center for Writing on-campus.
Tirabassi said, “We’re able to offer help to all students, whether they struggle with writing or feel confident in writing and just want a pair of eyes to look over their work.”
Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com
