Goings On in the English Dept.
An Open Mic, the SSU Writing Group, a Call for Poetry and the Chinese Poetry Translation group offer myriad ways to move outside one's comfort zone.
by Joseph G. Bova and Sara Pompeo
Inside the Open Mic
The Open Mic sponsored by the English Dept.'s honor society, Sigma Tau Delta, took place on Monday, September 27th in Viking 123, behind the campus Starbucks. SSU students of all ages and majors flooded through the doors with poetry and prose; some read personal works, with topics ranging from nasty break-ups to horseback riding, while others recited pieces from well-known poets, such as the famous piece, “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” by Emily Dickinson.
When students weren’t reading poems or gobbling on the free treats and snacks, they were laughing and chatting about timeless poetry books, mutual classes, and even reminiscing on their angsty high school phases (because everyone has had one). Regardless of being a biology major with a secret knack for alliteration, or an introverted English prodigy, SSU’s Open Mic event was the perfect opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and into the world of creative writing and comradery!
Hello! We are the SSU Writer’s Group!
We meet every other Tuesday, from 7-8pm in the Mary G. Walsh Writing center. Our next meeting is Nov. 9. We require a “cleared” badge on Coverfied to attend, and for all writers to remain within SSU’s COVID guidelines.
All meetings are open to all majors and skill levels. We are also hosting a few special workshops this semester! On November 9th, we are hosting an open zine-making workshop during our normal meeting time. We will be making zines (which are small self-published pamphlets, kind of like magazines). On December 7th, we are hosting a mindful journaling workshop for finals stress! This is again during our typical meeting time.
We are also affiliated with Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honors Society at SSU. Our student leadership is the same for the Writers’ Group as it is for Sig Tau.
Call for Poetry: Finding Community
Calling all poets! Red Skies Magazine is looking for poems that share what it is like to find a greater sense of community in these unprecedented times. As we move into this new chapter, we are reflecting upon the contrast from our collection, “Poetry in Isolation,” and seeing the impacts of coming back on-campus.
Please send 1-3 poems about your sense of community to redskies@salemstate.edu. Please place the words “Community Poetry” in the subject line; in the message field, please include a short bio.
Chinese Poetry Translation Group
The Chinese/English poetry translation group held its first meeting Sept. 30 at 4:30 in Meier Hall 249e. The group, hosted by Prof. Scrimgeour, primarily works on translating contemporary Chinese poems written in Mandarin into English. No knowledge of Mandarin is necessary to participate. All students, faculty and staff are welcome. Please email jscrimgeour@salemstate.edu to let him know you’re coming.