Posted by The Ann Struthers Student Reading Series is an annual public reading event hosted by the English Department to promote student writers to the student body and the public. Five students presented at this year’s event, on February 19, with their works ranging from poetry to a monologue to a short play. Ann Struthers herself presented as well, reading a poem from her most recent collection. The poem, titled “Pissed Off,” captures the character and stature of the wal ura, the wild boar native to Sri Lanka.
The first writer was Taylor Bruno (‘20) with a play titled “Desperate Calls for Desperate Measures.” The play is meant to emulate a New Jersey call center on the day of 9/11: the confusion of operators, the pouring in of disjointed and chaotic information, the repeated attempts to restore order, only to have it all fall back into chaos. Second was poet Nick Hodges (‘19) and a collection of five poems. His poems focused on themes of longing, desire, blooming and dying loves and the confusion and connections we all share in the human experience.
Next to take the mic was Aubrey Montreal (‘22) with a short story titled “What Will You Choose,” a twist on the prisoner’s dilemma narrative between a pair of characters, one trapped in the rubble of a building and the other free to escape. Fourth was Enzo Nagao (‘20) and a monologue from a larger story titled “Arcturus,” where a sci fi setting showcases the human condition through war and destruction, and the narrator makes the case for their actions as a villain. Last to the mic was Kris Nixon (‘20) with a flash fiction piece titled “9 AM on a Friday,” a piece told from the perspective of a nervous college student with a letter for their crush, which does end up in the hands of the crush, albeit 50 years after the fact.
The Ann Struthers Student Reading Series accepts submissions from all Coe students starting in the spring semester of the school year.