by Michael Sanchez, staff writer
Each year PPSC holds an event known as the Spring Reading, where students and faculty come together to celebrate their collective creative works, as well as distinguishing a visiting author as its special guest. This year is no exception, with special guest author Patricia Meridith, the 2024 Spring Reading looks to be a fun and entertaining event for all involved.
Amie Sharp of the English/Creative Writing Department is the mastermind of this event and seeks to make this an all-inclusive event for the community with an everyone-is-welcome attitude.
With this year’s event, Sharp says she hopes “to showcase the work of our wonderfully vibrant creative community at PPSC and to encourage people to take creative writing classes at the college.” With the active involvement of so many in the local writing community, this aim is already off to a running start.
Several students and faculty have already scheduled readings and timeslots are still available for advanced registration. Those who hope to read should contact Sharp directly through email at amie.sharp@pikespeak.edu with timeslots ranging from four to seven minutes. Sharp also says that if there is enough time after scheduled readings an “Open-Mic style” read will take place for anyone present.
Those attending the Spring Reading should expect an evening of drinks, snacks, and creativity and the following order of events. The Student Government Association will give a short reception starting at 5:30pm in the Studio West Gallery. Attendees will then move into the Black Box Theater for selected readings from local creatives from 6 to 7 p.m. According to Sharp, “readers will be sharing their fiction, poetry, memoir, spoken word, or some combination of those genres.” Next, comes the visiting writer spotlight of special guest Colorado Springs author Patricia Meridith who will read from her mystery stories before giving a brief Q&A and book signing.
This year’s Spring Reading is shaping up to be quite an event with so many creative forces working together. The environment being formed seems to be one of collective encouragement and sharing of creativity in which participation is highly interactive and supportive.
Creative writing professor Brook Bhagat is another key player in the Spring Reading event both past in present. She says, “the Spring Reading is a celebration of the powerful imaginations and voices of the PPSC creative writing community. I hope to honor those voices, amplify them. Poets and storytellers play a vital role in our world, in our shared humanity; yet they are so often overlooked.”
The enthusiasm and positive energy felt when discussing the event with Sharp and Bhagat is infectious and can only help to reassure anyone who is interested in attending and/or participating in the event but hasn’t made up their mind yet.
In Bhagat’s words: “I would encourage students to come out and support each other, hear each other’s songs and poems and stories. They are so brave, at the podium, getting up there. Be brave, be true to yourself, for you and for the whole world,” she says.
So, if you’re looking for a free evening of positive collaboration and creative celebration, join the Spring Reading event at the Black Box Theater at Studio West on Thursday, March 21.
