"Show Don't Tell" Your Love for Writing Programs!

Submitted by Basil Marcus and Brianna Schantz

Writers had a hauntingly good time at the Sharon Forks Library this October. PoeFest was our celebration of literature, and it came stacked with author visits to poetry slams to giant cutouts of Edgar Allan Poe. In other words, we had it all. 

One of these celebratory programs was the fifth annual Writers’ Night of Fright, a night dedicated to community authors. Writers submit original works of flash fiction (up to 700 words) or poetry to present at the program. The genre? Why, horror, of course! After all, “fright” is in the title. This year, we had tales of haunted houses, annoyed ghosts, and murderous professors. We even had our first song performance! Though attendance was a bit lower this year, all of our regulars from years past attended, including an original who presented at the very first Writers’ Night of Fright back in 2021. Writers always have fun networking with each other, showcasing their work, and dressing to impress.

To round out the end of the month, we hosted our first poetry slam, which gave local poets their own time to shine in front of a welcoming audience. Poets of all skill levels joined us to read a handful of their own poetry. We had everything from twenty-five-word poems to poems that spanned several minutes long. Poems tackled all sorts of topics, from growing up to bird watching to immigrating to America. We had several regular writing patrons in attendance and quite a few new faces as well. At the end of the program, everyone wanted to stay to network and ask each other questions about their poetry. 

We love giving our writers space to be creative and show off their work–and our writers seem to love it too!