For those who listen and those who speak
For those who have an urge to read their writing out loud, Helicon West provides the way.
Every other Thursday, writers from both USU and the community are welcome to either listen to others works, or read works of their own.
Helicon West will feature readers from the new anthology, “New Poets of the American West,” including Utah Poet Laureate Katharine Coles, Rob Carney, Elaine Christensen, Chris Cokinos, Star Coulbrooke, and Michael Sowder.
An microphone for open discussion will follow immediately after the authors read their chosen works.
According to Star Coulbrooke, director of the USU Writing Center and coordinator for Helicon West, the event began in 2005 with the intent to unite the writing community in the valley to share their work. Coulbrooke also said they encouraged any form of writing to be read at the events, not just poetry.
“We didn’t want to compete with Poetry and a Beverage,” Coulbrooke said. “Poetry and a Beverage is a place where you can do other things while you listen, we wanted a place with a captivated audience. A place where people could feel like their writing mattered.”
According to the group’s mission statement, the event’s purpose is to give a place and time for members of the writing community to “give their work a public voice, with no restrictions on levels of skill and no censorship of ideas or craft.”
Susan Nyikos, USU English professor and active participant in Helicon West, said her favorite thing is when she spots her own students in the crowd and gets to talk to them about their individual experience.
One of her students, pre-physical therapy sophomore Kelsey Sax, said, “A point I learned after (Helicon West) was how you can write about anything – literally, anything.”
Coulbrooke said reading any written work is encouraged at Helicon West. Readers can read poetry, short stories, short plays, excerpts from novels, letters and even their own journal entries.
Coulbrooke said there is no limit to what could be read; each reader is given the freedom to express themselves uncensored through their writing.
Coulbrooke said writers come 15 to 20 minutes before the event begins to sign up for an allotted time to read.
“Everyone listens with attentiveness and respect,” Coulbrooke said. “It’s so nice to read in front of a captivated audience.”
Chadd VanZanten, a USU alumnus said he started going to Helicon West after he saw an ad for it in the Herald Journal. VanZanten said he wanted to work on developing his creative writing and it seemed like a good place to start. He said that what one of the greatest things of Helicon West was the “energizing atmosphere.”
VanZanten said at Helicon West the energy and excitement bounces off of everyone because if the reader gets a positive response from the crowd from their writing, they go home and work on their piece even more and get excited about writing.
He said one of the best things for a writer is to come to a place where when you read, the experience excites you to continue writing and developing your work.
The diversity among Helicon West readers and audience members is one of its greatest aspects, he said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a … high school kid who comes in and shares something that is less complex,” VanZanten said. “You still find yourself coming away with what was good, what could have been done better, why it was good, and you can take those questions and ideas back to your own work.”
Coulbrooke said, “We invite all creative writers from the university and the community to come share their writing and enjoy the opportunity to read in front of an attendant audience.”
The next Helicon West will be held Thursday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at the True Aggie Cafe, 117 North Main in Logan.
– jessica.black@aggiemail.usu.edu