Writers Week

Monday- I really liked Julie Halpern. She was upbeat, yet still seemed pretty down to earth. Her stories were really cool. It was pretty sweet that she lied to the police and the FBI. Her time in the mental hospital was also something I did not expect to hear. I don't really picture mental patients as popular published authors. It just seemed really cool how she never really was that determined to become a writer, but she wound up as one.

Tuesday- For me this was a pretty average student period. I liked some presenters, and others I didn't like. Unlike most others I really wasn't a huge fan of Jonathan. It was pretty interesting, but I feel like he kind of stretched the story out a little longer than he should have. And I didn't really think there should be a moral coming from riding on an airplane. However, I loved Unser's skit. It was really funny, and I don't think he crossed any lines at all. He was undoubtedly my favorite presenter of the period.

Wednesday- I thought Sierra DeMulder was a fantastic presenter. She was both funny and serious, and some of her poems were very powerful. She talked about some serious stuff, like gay rights and serial killers. But she didn't do it in an inappropriate way. I also liked how she changed the point of view on certain issues, like the poem from the mother of Dahmor. I also just enjoy slam poetry in general. I like how they actually say them with a lot of power and passion, instead of just reading them. That made Wednesday more interesting for me.

Thursday- I enjoyed the musical day. I thought the first few presenters did nice but not great jobs. they just didn't really stand out to me. I actually kinda liked the raps by Davy and Dan. They had good ideas, but there were some issues with the technology that detracted from their performances. And Hannah was just flat-out awesome. I liked her raspy, sort of bluesy voice. And her comedy skit at the end was really funny. The whole crowd loved her, and so did I.

Friday- Billy Lombardo was not my favorite presenter. His writing seemed fine, but he mostly just read from his works. He didn't really talk or present much else. He actually did get more interesting though because he started making odd little remarks and things like that.

The biggest thing I took away from Writers Week is that anyone can be a writer. Billy Lombardo and Julie Halpern both showed that very well. I also liked seeing twelve students get up and present. It's nice seeing what your peers can do, and it shows you can become a writer, even without ever striving to be one.