200 Days in the Life of the College
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
24 hours in 17 syllables — that’s creativity
By Dana J. Quigley ’11
KJ study rooms//and Opus are man’s best friend//when I hit the books.
A.M. or P.M?//My alarm clock gets it wrong—//late for class again.
Wake up in the night//from a dream about essays//then write them all day.
Important stuff from//today: Halo, fencing, and//Chaucer on great sex.
Breakfast in a cup//Running to my morning class//It’s one of those days.
These haikus are written by members of Writer’s Bloc, an informal conglomerate of students who gather weekly for the pursuit of creative writing. Members typically write from prompts provided by the co-leaders, currently Kate Sheridan ’11 and me, and spend a short while crafting their creations on laptops, notebooks, napkins or whatever might be at their disposal.
Tonight, members greedily snatch at the scrap paper provided for the exercise and set about scribbling their 17-syllabic snapshots of Hamilton, specifically crafted for the “200 Days” project. Every week, the club embarks on a fresh set of writing tasks, allowing anyone to drop in who is so inclined. New attendees usually take their cues from the veterans and share their creations without hesitation — the friendly, informal and often rollicking atmosphere eases any anxieties. The club has existed for several years and continues to grow with each semester. Aside from fostering writing, the club also hosts a campus-wide reading at the end of each semester.
