Photo courtesy of Adrianna Jaccoma and Klaudine Bessasparis
Hello Venture readers!
On November 14th we hosted our first Writer’s Block event! We set out to host a fun night where writers of all skill levels could sit down, enjoy some refreshments, and work on some writing prompts inspired by Venture’s 2024-2025 theme: reflections. The turnout consisted of students from different majors, skill levels, and artistic specialties. But we all banded together for what turned out to be a wonderful night full of inspiration, collaboration, and some truly astounding writing.
The format of Writer’s Block consisted of a few minutes to get settled, then some time to brainstorm based on the provided prompts and write. Then it was time to share! I commend everyone who chose to share their writing. But I also understand that it can be scary to share, especially something written in a short amount of time. However, there is still plenty of time to polish those ideas and submit them to Venture!
I heard some truly amazing delivery, creative poetry, and watched as self described “non-poets” contradicted themselves right in front of my eyes. It was awesome to see the diverse range of work that came from the same few prompts, but also the common threads woven throughout. Some poems were emotional, vulnerable, and serious. Some were funny, romantic, and brief. But we were all united by the human and poetic urge to reflect.
Having a fun, casual environment to create art and community can breed some of the most natural and rewarding writing. Great writing isn’t only writing done in a fancy cafe while wearing a black turtleneck. I found the environment of Writer’s Block highly conducive to the fun, early, loose stages of writing something great. While I can’t speak for everyone who attended Writer’s Block, I had a wonderful time brainstorming, jotting ideas down, and (after much wracking of nerves) even sharing some poetry of my own.
Thanks to Maura and Ashley for rallying the Venture staff to get this event together. Klaudine did a wonderful job MCing the event. She brought liveliness, humor, and organization to the night. I have to give a shout out to everyone in Venture who volunteered to make fliers, spread the word about Writer’s Block, bring refreshments, and whoever just showed up to write and have a good time! Thanks to Professor Toro for the pizza as well!
Dear reader, if you missed out on this event, I sincerely hope you are able to catch the next one. It was a blast, and you were missed. But until then, you can submit your writing to Venture here, or email us at venture@rider.edu with any questions.
Until next time,
Aiya Rabah
