The crescent moon hung high as the Halloween spirit carried on into the evening of Nov. 1, when 20 students gathered in the Reading Room of Bachelor Hall to celebrate the holiday in a creative and expressive way.
The event, “Spooky Souls, Short Stories,” gave students the opportunity to express themselves and their love for the Halloween season. Attendees read creative writing including original works of short stories and poems as well as already published, well-known pieces.
The night started out with the telling of an urban legend about the said-to-be haunted Bachelor Hall, followed by an uncomfortable silence as people shifted around in their seats.
The realization that the lower level might be a little too close for comfort spread throughout the room.
Cookies and apple cider disappeared from the back table throughout the night, as audience members grew more and more invested in stories from Edgar Allen Poe, the “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast and student pieces.
Those who signed up to read their personal writings were met with applause and compliments.
“If you have a passion and you know that there’s a group of other people that share that passion, then it’s important to get together and talk about it,” said Aaron Boyd, a graduate student studying speech pathology. “Especially when it’s something like writing a story; with that kind of depth it gives insight into what’s going on in a person, and to share that, I think it’s really cool.”
The campus organizations behind it all were the English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, Happy Captive Magazine and the Miami University Association of Creative Writers (AWC). These groups focus on bringing creative minds together to support students in majors like English and professional writing, as well as create thoughtful communities and friendships with a professional outlook.
“Part of our thing is showing people you can have a career in English and have a rewarding life in the major,” Henry Roach, junior English literature major and president of Sigma Tau Delta said.
Senior Anna Maltbie, a literature major and the editor in chief of Happy Captive Magazine, a publication written and produced by undergraduate students, talked about the benefits of hosting readings.
“We usually do some kind of reading every semester,” Maltbie said. “It’s a great form of expression and way of getting people’s opinions out there.”
Sigma Tau Delta’s event is typically held in Uptown Oxford at Top Deck. When the idea for a new venue and holiday theme came up during an executive board meeting, all were excited for a change of pace.
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As the evening came to a close, formal readings at the podium turned into casual storytelling and conversation. Scary tales continued as people recited them from memory and bonded over their mutual love for the medium of expression.
People filed out one by one to return home, keeping the story of the basement just below them in the back of their minds.
For those interested in getting involved with any of the organizations listed in this story, they can be found on the HUB.
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