On a drizzly Thursday evening, the Delta Literary Journal held its first Highland Coffees Reading Series of the semester. Among a mixture of creative writing majors and interested attendees, young writers and poets share their work with the local community.
The Delta Literary Journal is a yearly publication that exhibits undergraduate submissions of poetry, fiction and art.
“[The journal] is a vehicle for keeping the literary culture of LSU alive,” said Elizabeth Nelson, English senior and fiction editor of the Delta.
The Highland Coffees Reading Series was created to perpetuate and cultivate this literary culture, Nelson said. The reading on Sept. 21 was the first of six readings that will continue through Dec. 7.
Haikus and spoken word poetry were performed by University students and alumni alike.
The University’s English department has been utilizing Highland Coffees for nearly 20 years, with the Delta using it for about 10 years, poetry editor Nayyir Ransome said.
Here, creative writing is not limited by topic, tone or genre. The readings allow creative expression to take many forms.
“[The reading series is a place] where you feel welcome, no matter what it is you say,” creative writing senior Kendall James said.
Some writers talked about unrequited love, some about their day-to-day and others still some about painful memories of the past.
University alumna Kirsten Collins loves spending time with a genuine creative writing community, she said. Collins read two poems Thursday: one, a haiku about how much she hates eating in public alone, and the other, a more serious look at what being southern means to her. This was prompted by the recent natural disasters and the South’s heightened political climate, she said.
“[These feelings] manifest in you in a very personal way, so I try to put it into poetry,” Collins said.
All members of the community are invited to attend, regardless of year or major.
James said she was hooked the first time she attended a reading — before she was even a creative writing major.
“Not only were [the writers] being personal, but they were showing a human side that was funny and at the same time tragic and beautifully poetic,” James said. “Everyone just looks more human after I leave this place.”
Ultimately, the series is about a feeling of freedom — of finally being heard, Ransome said. “It’s an adrenaline rush [reminding] you — I’m still alive,” she said.
The Highland Coffees Reading Series will continue Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. If you’re interested in reading for the series, message Delta Literary Journal on its Facebook to sign up.
