Mary Fons: As seems to be the consensus, Mary Fons was my favorite presenter of the week. She had great stage presence and was extremely funny. She was able to talk about some very personal subjects with apparent ease, namely her poem about her dad and talking about problems with her husband. I don’t think I could ever speak that personally in front of an audience. In addition, I felt her insty-poem was a great demonstration of just how creative and talented she is. The one thing she said that really struck me was when she talked about how poems and quilts, even though they’re both old-fashioned and simple, can have much more meaning as gifts than expensive things. I also really liked her comment about how poems, like jewels, take time to form, except a bunch of people already said that. You should all be ashamed.
Dr Small: I really enjoyed this performance. Dr. Small illustrated that interesting pieces of writing can come from unlikely or unintended places, such as in e-mails to one’s family in this case. Overall, the whole story was great. Oftentimes I forget that teachers and administrators actually have lives outside of school, and I was quite surprised to find out about Dr. Small’s other life. I really felt how connected she was to her story when she talked about her foal. Although I’m sure this part seemed over-emotional to many, having spent a good part of my life as a competitive horserider, I understand the close connection people have with their horses.
Mr. Hill: Just as Dr. Small’s performance, this served as a great reminder that you don’t have to be a professional writer to enjoy writing. He was a great example of what good teaching, in this case by his daughter, can do for a writer. I’m sure most of us have heard the phrase “Write what you know.” Mr. Hill exemplified this ideal in his story. I could really sense the love he has for his family, and that he was truly connected to his writing.
Jonathan Eig: This definitely wasn’t my favorite performance of the week, but that’s not to say it wasn’t enjoyable. Eig’s presentation was interesting, but his delivery was a bit mundane at points. However, I really admired his meticulousness when writing his books. His incredible dedication to getting all of the facts right through working with primary sources appeared to have taken a lot of passion, and he clearly loves what he does. Also, I found it really interesting how he tried to take the stories of Al Capone, Lou Gehrig, and Jackie Robinson and tell parts of their life other than the things that we immediately think of. I was surprised that I wanted to read his books even though I’m not a huge fan of sports books. This presentation was very unique in that aspect.
Students: I always love hearing fellow students perform. I know what it takes to get up and present, as Writers Week is in a way a larger scale speech tournament, and as everyone knows, I’m pretty much obsessed with all things speech related. Everything was incredibly well written, and despite some presentation issues, I enjoyed every minute of this period. I’d have to say my favorite was Stephanie Fox. Her piece was both thought provoking and enthusiastically presented. I also really liked the story about the pharmacy. Although it was simple on the surface, it really made me think about how we interact with each other, both good and bad. All of the writers definitely inspired me to write something for next year.
Mr. Romano, Mr. Anderson, and Mr. Brewner: All three of the faculty performers were great to listen to. Mr. Romano did a great job of writing what he knows. His accents and vocal delivery really added to the performance. Also, I liked what he said during questions that even though the exact events in the story hadn’t happened to him, he was drawing upon things that had influenced his life, such as his Italian culture. I also enjoyed Mr. Anderson’s poems. They were very simple and talked about things that affect us all, such as the winter. His writing style was almost earthy in a way, and it really drew me in. Mr. Brewner’s story about his motorcycle accident was probably my favorite. This reminded me of a conversation one of my speech coaches had with a girl who hadn’t gotten into her top choice college. Basically, both emphasized that, even if some life event comes along that seems catastrophic at the time, it will often lead you to the place in life you were meant to be. Overall, this period made me realize how lucky we are to have such talented faculty members.
Overall: This week just reminded me how much I like Writers Week. And, no, not because we got to miss class for a week. Every period was filled with insight, passion, sadness, joy, and everything in between. From the courage of student writers, to the technical mastery of the professionals, every single person who got on that stage inspired me in some way this week. I’m honestly glad that, unlike some classes, we weren’t loaded with tons of writing about this week, as it gave me a chance not to just hear, but to listen. Next year, I would like nothing better to be up on that stage reading. Hopefully, unlike this year, my procrastination won’t get the better of me.
-Elizabeth Davies
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