"Anywhere but Here" open mic a success

APRIL MURPHY
Special to The Leader

Over cups of punch, an audience was treated to a worldly variety of literary and musical tastes from over 20 different professors and students.

On the evening of Nov. 12 students, faculty and friends gathered in the Grind cafe for an evening of poetry, music and photography. The event, co-hosted by the International Education Office and Writer's Ring, invited artists to share their work based on the theme of "Anywhere but Here." Mary Sasso, director of the International Education Office and Christa Schreckengost, the treasurer of Writer's Ring, organized the open mic as a part of International Education week.

"The U.S. Congress designates the third week of every November as International Education week," Sasso said.

"I wanted to share this with everyone. I love the idea of being lost in translation," Schreckengost said.

In addition to this, Schreckengost told an interesting tale of how the opportunity for the open mic appeared.

"There was a guest speaker originally scheduled for [the night of the open mic] but unfortunately, he died. Since there was suddenly an opening in the schedule, Mary and I planned this event sort of last minute."

Despite the unusual origins of the event, it was a great success. The audience seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.

"I'm very impressed with the people who got up to read their work. It's pretty brave," said Neveda Greene, a senior English major who was in attendance.

These performances not only provided entertainment but encouraged other students to travel internationally.

Many of the students who performed read work previously written during or inspired by their own study abroad experiences. Amy Aderman, a senior English major, read poems inspired by her study abroad experience in Valencia, Spain. Also reading work inspired by her traveling experiences was Sarah Dunlap, an English graduate student, who shared a series of postcards inspired by the journals that she had kept during her experience in Japan.

"The thing I like best about [the students' work] is that you feel like you were there. It may inspire people to go," Sasso said.

The performers were not only students. Professor Malcolm Nelson read some excerpts from his upcoming book about the American wilderness, hoping to remind students that there are plenty of amazing things to see in the United States.

As a part of International Education Week, the International Education Office holds a photography contest for the participants of the previous semester's study abroad program. Students are invited to submit a photograph from their travels for a chance to win $100. The winner of this contest was Rebecca Palozzi, announced during the open mic.

The open mic was an evening of eclectic narratives detailing many different stories from many different parts of the globe. As students grabbed their jackets and headed off into the night, Mark Andrzejczak, a sophomore English major said, "I'd totally go to this again if it happened next semester," a sentiment that was shared by the crowd.