Writers Week XVII

Mary Fons: Mary Fons had no problem showing her audience her personality. Her appearance and the way she presented her poems and just flat out talked to us, made me feel like she was talking to us as her friend. I really liked that she told us she wasn’t going to read her poems like people read them at a poetry slam. I completely agree that poems shouldn’t be read like that because that’s not really the way they flow. The way she read her poems made them so easy to listen to and to enjoy. Especially her last poem about love; she used so much emotion when reading and I really enjoyed it. I’m happy that she recorded that one, and maybe one day I might go check it out.
Dr. Small and Emily Hill’s Dad: These two aren’t professional writers, and when I heard their pieces, I could tell. However, this day was my favorite because their writing was so upfront and at times I laughed and awed. Dr. Small’s writing was entertaining and funny. I got a kick out of how she explained the kittens. Then Mr. Hill was so sweet when he stood up there and was vulnerable and told his daughter he loved her, I seriously awed at that.
Jonathan Eig: People keep commenting about their dislike for him and I disagree. I liked what he had to say about his books. He didn’t read us any of his work however he told us about what’s it like being a writer and I appreciated that. Dedicating so much time and energy and not knowing if you’ll get something out of it is risky but writers take that chance. I may not take that chance, but I’m happy Jonathan Eig did because he has succeeded because lots of people like his work, and I may be one of them. His appearance at Writers Week made me very curious and interested in his books. One day, I’m planning on picking up Get Capone.
Students: When watching the students, I liked some but not others. It was interesting to see such a range in talent. I was blown away by some of the writing that the students shared and even more so at their age. I commend everyone who got up and shared though because that took serious bravery. I noticed that all the writing was very personal and to get up and tell 555 people those personal stories was unbelievable.
Faculty: First of all I want to thank these men for making writers week happen, but I’m sorry to say that this day wasn’t one of my favorites. It might have been because of my lack of sleep the night before but I could not pay attention and I was literally falling asleep. It’s hard for me to comment on their writing. Some people probably think their writing is really good but I didn’t like it very much. A different presentation might have given me a different opinion but as of now this day was my least favorite.
Daphne Willis: She wasn’t during first period. However, I want to comment on her because she was by far my favorite. Her specialty at writers week wasn’t the type of writing we think of when we hear the word writer. She writes songs and they are fantastic songs. I might be biased because I love the type of music she created but the whole auditorium seemed to enjoy her. She was so comfortable on stage and tried to engage all of us and make us laugh. Plus she was so young and a Fremd graduate and therefore very easy to connect to. All in all, I really enjoyed this performance.
Overall, Writers week XVII was very enjoyable. I have to admit, not having a lot of homework made me like it so much more but hearing what the writers had to say was cool as well. I’ve never heard of any of those Writers before this week but I liked that. When they would tell us about their books or pieces of writing I was more engaged because I didn’t know anything about them and I wanted to know more. I don’t remember much of last year, but this year I engaged and I think I’ll remember more about this year. I ended up going in a lot of my other classes and sometimes at lunch by choice, so it’s safe to say that I really enjoy Writers Week and I don’t think it’s a waste of my time like I’ve heard some friends say. There’s a lot that you can get out of the stories of these writers.