Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
By Kayla Brown, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Five creative writing seniors shared some of their best work at the most recent senior reading. The event, hosted by Susquehanna professors Kara Kelsey and Monica Prince, featured Julianna Shuman, Ashley Toomey, Alyssa Chittester, Nicole Brintzenhoff and Alexander Morgan.
Although this event was held virtually, it gave the students a platform to not only share their hard work over the past four years, but be with their peers and feel their support.
Shuman, who read an excerpt from a novel she’s been working on, said: “I look at [the senior reading] as a way for seniors to celebrate how far they’ve come with everyone. It’s both a time of reflection, and a time to look excitedly towards the future.”
Toomey, who held a similar sentiment, said, “It personally meant to me, something that I could show off that I did during my time here, not necessarily for class…it allowed me to show them something that they didn’t make me write.”
Toomey shared an excerpt from a non-fiction memoir that she has been working on regarding a past relationship and healing from that relationship. Prior to her time at Susquehanna, she enjoyed writing fiction, but has since found a love for non-fiction and poetry.
Morgan, who began truly writing in high school, read three original poems from his time at Susquehanna, “To Be Heard,” “By Being Linked-In” and “Sad Writer.” Each of these poems were written and performed with pure emotion, covering topics from disability identity to criticism of toxic masculinity.
Of the reading itself, Morgan said: “It means to me a chance to put my creative output over the past four years into a sort of context. It also is helpful for sharing work that peers might not have seen or heard over the four years in a unifying setting.”
Along with readings from the five seniors, the Gary and Elizabeth Fincke Outstanding Senior Portfolio Prize was also awarded to senior Jason Ferris. According to Ferris, this prize is given annually to a creative writing senior who submits the best 20-40 pages of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, hybrid work or some combination of all the above.
“This prize is an incredible honor, and I could not be more pleased with the support I have received from the Writers Institute these past four years, especially professors Matthew Neill Null, Hasanthika Sirisena and Catherine Dent,” Ferris said.
Ferris, whose work was chosen by alumna Julie (Danho) O’Connell, class of 1999, read his work at a previous senior reading event last semester. The pieces that won him the Gary Fincke Prize also won the “L’appel du Vide” small press competition on campus.
Following their time at Susquehanna, these seniors are attending graduate school, beginning careers as writers and proofreaders and pursuing other avenues that will allow them to continue using their voices.