This program is made possible through a generous gift from Ruth and Russell Bolton
in conjunction with the Eberly College of Arts & Sciences.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

What a great reading!


This past Sunday's Bolton reading was our best yet. How can I be so sure? All those knowing looks I got from the workshop leaders. They know good writing when they hear it and they were impressed. So congratulations to all our readers and MFA instructors (some of whom are pictured above) and thanks to them and to all our helpers in the residence halls and to Mr. and Mrs. Bolton. See you next semester!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Writing with Our Eyes Closed

Fresh back from Thanksgiving Break, that tease of a break too late in the semester, Arnoldites met this past Monday to write about home. No, not the home the dorms rushed them off to two Fridays ago. Here. Morgantown. Yes, that feels a little like home now.

Remember the infamous line Dorothy repeats while clicking her glittery, red heels? "There's no place like home." She said it over and over again with her eyes closed. Another famous writer, Tennessee Williams, said something like, I see better with my eyes closed. Or maybe their eyes are closed because it's the tradition of a wish or helps them visualize better. Nonetheless, when home is home you know it with all your being.

This week, Arnoldites wrote about their new-found homes that they kinda missed while they were away at, well, their other homes. They wrote about Morgantown using everything but their eyes. In the visual age, sometimes it's easy to overlook those sensory details of taste, smell, hearing or touch, but when we resurrect them sometimes they're fresher than ever!

A little taste (haha) of the writing that went down this week:

"As soon as you turn off the highway your car hits bumps, cracks, potholes. You hear your car scream to go in the opposite direction. . . . At night the city awakes, streets full of clacking heels. . . . Sirens fill your ears." (Caitlin Cooper)

After a semester of fun, I asked for some comments and suggestions and from what I collected they liked me, they LOVED Bolton, and they wish for more food and freestyle rap. (I think I can do that.)

So, thank you for this opportunity and for keeping tabs on the Bolton Writing Workshops throughout the semester. Make sure to check back with us next semester! Until then, join us at Honors Hall this Sunday at 6PM for the End of the Semester Bolton Reading and brownies!