Emily Chan

The National Day on Writing event happened on the first floor of the library on Friday, October 20th. The event, Abington Writes! was held in celebration of writing as a scholarly tool and instrument of expression. It began with a short introduction about the event by Dr. Matthew Rigilano. It was followed with a speech given by Dr. Liliana Naydan, about the origins of the National Day on Writing (NDOW) and the importance of writing to society as a whole. Free pizza and water bottles were available for both readers and attendees.

At 12:15, Dr. Rigilano gave another short introduction describing the pieces being read, finishing that, he began to announce each reader, following the provided program pictured above. The pieces ranged from poetry to creative nonfiction.

An eloquent closing statement was given by Professor Stephen Cohen after the readings finished, and readers were free to intermingle with each other and listeners. The event was small and close-knit, consisting of mainly English majors and a few English professors. Comments and compliments were exchanged throughout the room as the event stretched on just past 1:15.

Attendee Sierrarose Biello stated, “I enjoyed the event.” Biello is an art major but attended the event initially to support her friends who were reading, and perhaps for the free lunch. “I was impressed with the readers. A lot of the pieces were very raw and personal with an [impactful] moral.” Biello added. When asked why she thinks writing is important, Biello answered, “I think writing is important because without it we wouldn’t be a civilized society today.”

Another attendee and reader, Hannah Golden, agreed that “the event went really well.” Of the pieces Golden commented, “[There was] a very good array of pieces and genres.” As a fellow English major, Golden had a lot to say on the importance of writing. “I think writing is important because, so few people know how to do it right,” she started. ” We live in a world where STEM is [so] heavily emphasized [that] soft skills like writing aren’t viewed as important anymore. So few people know how to communicate effectively.” She finished. Golden also lamented the lack of representation in the work force for English majors stating, “It’s like employers have forgotten the value of clear and well written communication.”

“I enjoyed the NDOW event a ton.” Reader Joseph Handlin stated. Many of the pieces read were deeply personal, so I asked Handlin why he chose That’s No Marriage That’s a Space Station. Handlin had this to say, “I picked [my piece] after a long deliberation. It was the most vulnerable I’ve presented myself in a public space. It was some of my best work and something I worked really hard on. I wanted to see what the crowd thought [of it.]”

The general consensus of those who attended was that the event was a success.