On the evening of October 9th, in the short hours before sunset, Writer’s Studio, a faculty run organization that puts on events and workshops for the writing community at ACC, hosted their annual faculty and staff literary reading in the library. During the reading, ACC employees from many professional disciplines came together to share creative works in front of an audience. Children and families of the faculty involved were present, as well as some members of administration. The microphone at this reading was open to anybody who is an ACC employee and offers an excellent opportunity for the audience to sample local talent and hear different artistic perspectives.
The reading served not only as a showing of staff skills, but also of their passion. It was an engaging and at times emotional experience to be among the audience. Listening to the various readings, one could feel the palpable emotion as poems of loss or love are read. One could be immersed in prose that transports the listener to a bygone era, some of high school memories or of great Khans in distant lands. One might be left pondering the stars or our very place in the cosmos when confronted with the poetry of an astrophysicist and even still one might be brought to tears by the touching, and at times humorous, creative recreation of a marriage license.
In the peripheries, various passer-by students visiting the library stopped to listen. Snacks and refreshments were provided and most partook. Some of the aforementioned children of faculty beat bundles of sticks in an improvised rhythm section to the poetry, watched on enraptured, or sat simply absorbed in their personal devices. Each reader was welcomed to the podium by the host, Professor Juliet Beckman, and were showered in ovations after completing their readings. Pieces included personal essays, poems, memoirs, and more.
This faculty and staff reading also acts as a way of bringing the faculty closer to their students, as articulated by Professor Fuglei: “I love that a faculty and staff reading has us out and sharing our creative work, but also showing students the importance of not just making but sharing our art. Reading in public is hard and can be vulnerable space – and it’s important to model that!”
In addition to the usual readings, there was a celebratory yet somber undertone as one faculty member delivered an in-memoriam reading which sampled the creative work of former ACC student Jacob Davies, who passed in April of last year. Davies was a Philosophy major who enjoyed creative writing and journalism, and he was a talented artist beloved by peers and faculty alike for his positive demeanor and contagious smile. A friend of Davies and current ACC student, Isaac Winchester, recalled of Davies: “He just brought joy to everyone that he met.”
Professor Jamey Trotter, who worked with Davies in Creative Writing I, delivered a touching eulogy by recalling his positive impact on the writing community in that class, and reading from Davies’ work then, and since. In particular, a poem about the writer’s struggles with epilepsy evoked much empathy from the audience.
Toward the end of the event, Scott Guenthner, the English Department Chair, announced the ratification of the official articulation agreement between ACC and Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) for the creative writing transfer degree. Another articulation agreement with University of Colorado Denver (CU) is currently in the works, and he encouraged interested students to get their creative writing transfer degree from ACC to move on to a four year institution of their choice. It was originally planned that J. Eric Miller, an MSU faculty member and local writer, would be in attendance to announce the agreement, but due to personal matters, he was unable to attend. Miller will be present at the Writer’s Studio National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) kickoff panel on Tuesday, October 29 from 4:30 – 6:00pm in the ACC Library (Littleton Campus). Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.
