Monday: I liked how Julie Halpern was just being herself and poking fun at her own oddities during her performance. If I recall, she called herself fat and ugly once or twice. Gave off some good ethos and whatnot. She was also pretty light hearted and all about the hospitalization and depression, I liked that because most of the performers were extremely depressing. So yeah, overall I think she has a good thing going with the vibes she gives off during her performance and the way she presents herself as a character to the audience.

Tuesday: There were a number of depressing poems that fell deaf on my ears. No offense to the authors, I'm sure they were excellent, but it was a bit heavy and I didn't want a mood killer. The brighter counterparts to these performers were Unser and Jonathan. Unser performed a hilarious speech about the failure of kids these days to properly insert "P.E.N.A.S." into their lives and into the lives of potential members-of-the-opposite-sex, displaying charm and humor while simultaneously bringing to attention a serious problem with today's pathetic society's mating rituals. Jonathan had a pleasantly light and PG humored short story that made me reminisce about old Disney movies. He brought out the classic cartoonish over-the-top kind of character in the bird lady, and the well known subtle-but-vibrant annoyed person through the businessman trying to complete his crossword. I don't know if he was going for that vibe but the way he presented and the content had that effect on me. I appreciated it.

Wednesday: I think almost every single poem Sierra DeMulder performed was depressing and I was not enthused by the pangs of pointless sympathy that tried to attack me. One poem in particular stuck out to me, the one about pro-anorexia. I very much agree with her point that women in today's society should not conform to the ludicrous standards society sets for their figure. However, her presentation and emotion made her sound like a fanatical left wing politician who wants all women in the world to become fat. I am very much against either of the sexes letting go of their weight management. Just so long as the opposite sex stays sexy, I'm all for it.

Thursday: The first singer on Thursday, Hannah Fox, was pretty good. But I found the piece of music she performed to be annoying and unpleasant to listen to. Other minor defects were that she would not hold out any notes, and insisted to breathe right into the microphone so everyone would hear it (you're supposed to turn away to breathe). An effective way to describe Maggie Dever with is her own quote, "I'm sorry I'm not Hannah." She played some easy, simple chords on her guitar and quietly sang some sentimental lyrics along to them. Hannah Lee, on the other hand, had a captivating voice and interesting instrumental. Her performance evoked sense and feeling. And of course her comedy skit was downright hilarious: she effectively played all the characters using just her voice and body motions.

Friday: I actually saw Billy Lombardo both times, and was pleased that he performed different pieces. He has an excellent sense of humor, and an acute understanding of the jovial playfulness and value of cursing. Although I think baseball is less of a sport and more of a hobby for overweight "athletes" to swing sticks and throw balls, he managed to make it sound like an appealing subject to me. He carried emotion and meaning in his works and performed them like he cared and like he was truly their author. He appeared very human and devoid of the usual school white washing, writing about being a horny adolescent and of good old violent horseplay. I can't think of anything bad to say about Mr. Lombardo, he was inspiring and entertaining as a performer.

I very much appreciate writers' week, especially in that because of it I get to see performers I'd never otherwise see. Julie Halpern actually had me wonderingly thinking that I could become a writer, and the short break from realism was inspiring and nice. I am also happy that it provides an opportunity for the talented to have a way to be inspired to create works and to perform their works, although there is the minor trade off that I am sometimes forced to sit through the performances of the brave. And of course Fanboys is awesome! Overall I find writers' week to be educational, inspiring, benign, and of course entertaining. Thank you, English department. The only thing I don't like is writing this blog entry.