Four writers, one stage and one night to shine - the Ink-sponsored Student Reading Series on Oct. 9 was a hit with the literary community, as four authors put their literary talents on display.
The first writer was Adam Engel, a junior English philosophy major who also plays jazz trumpet. His poem, "Silent Sound," was inspired by jazz musician Miles Davis' "muted trumpet sound." Engel said he started writing poetry by joining his high school's jazz band, composing poems on the bus while in transit to jazz competitions across the state.
Joanna Fantozzi, sophomore English major, read an untitled short story. She wrote about forbidden love between a nobleman and a commoner and how years later, a diary connected two generations together.
When asked about the inspiration for her tale, she said, "Well you know iGoogle? I used their 'curing writer's block' application and it told me to write a story about a girl in an alley and a king who finds a diary."
It seemed like a recipe for success for Fantozzi and her passionate piece.
Claudia Bonnet transferred from Montclair University to the College as a communication studies major. Bonnet's collection included three short, emotional poems. She wrote the second piece, "I Am Him," after a fight with her father and addressed how the two are one and the same.
The last author of the night was Samantha Atzeni, an English graduate student. She read a piece of nonfiction titled, "The Legend of David Bradley." The inspiration for her piece came from encounters with a strange customer during her five years as a ShopRite employee. Bradley would regularly cause chaos and mayhem at the supermarket, making for a hilarious short story that had the entire audience laughing.
Atzeni is a published writer who is inspired by events in everyday life. She says writing has to be "the same as breathing" and to "keep stories circulating because that's when they die."
Ink holds Student Readings at various times during the semester. Ink secretary Enrico Bruno, sophomore English major, said Ink picks stories based on originality.
"People e-mail us their work and the four of us - the executive members - go through it and pick the best ones," he said. Bruno said the best way to get selected is to showcase originality and crazy ideas.
"Last year someone played the bongos," Bruno said. "But (the works) also have to be good."
