Students came together in Misciagna Titelman Study on February 21st for some poetry, music, and snacks during the annual Hard Freight Cafe creative writing showcase.

Hard Freight literary magazine hosted its annual Hard Freight Cafe event where it welcome any and all students to present their works of creative writing. Each Hard Frieght event commences the submission deadline for the Hard Freight literary magazine that is published online each semester for Penn State Altoona students. With a crowd of 40-50 students only a few gained the courage to present.

Professor Erin Murphy, coordinator of the magazine, says her favorite part of the event is “the range…you have people reading their own original poetry, published work that they like, (and) people performing music.”

This Hard Freight Cafe event was the first one to include visual art provided by Penn State Altoona staff member Laura Palmer, who teaches Biology on campus while photographing on the side. Laura Palmer is the spring 2017 faculty feature for Hard Frieght magazine; her photographs are of nature, most of which were shot on campus. She submitted 6 to 8 photos to be in this semester’s magazine. Some photos were focused on her favorite subject of birds, especially the ducks in the reflection pond.

The event also included a special guest, author Marjorie Maddox, who read excerpts from her books What She Was Saying and Wives’ Tales. Other presenters read oedipus poetry, personal work, and even contributed improv piano playing.

Hard Freight’s spring semester issue is set to drop in the weeks to come.