Last weekend, members of Rowan’s literary magazine, Avant, gathered for a reading of accepted pieces from this fall’s issue. The event, titled “Rhythm and Prose,” featured a combination of poetry and short works.
Sophomore writing arts major Dina Folgia was one of the first writers to present for the night. Her piece, titled “In Every Passing Car,” portrayed a photographer’s life through snapshots, bouncing back and forth in time.
“I wanted to present the piece as if you were in a gallery looking at someone’s life in photographs,” Folgia said. “I wanted it to be less about the photography and more about how an artist sees the world.”
Senior writing arts major Samuel Fine also presented. His piece came in the form of a haiku, titled “AutoStop” after a men’s hair dye product. The poem conveyed a lot in few lines, as is common with haikus.
“You love graying men, but your laughter is a dye, keeping my hair dark,” Fine read.
Laura Kincaid, a junior writing arts major and Avant editor-in-chief, presented a prose piece titled “Out of a Job.” Death was personified in this, depicted as a worker who must collect the souls of the dying. After struggling and failing to collect the soul of a crash victim, Death realized he may be out of a job, as suggested by the title.
The final presenter of the night was junior writing arts and musical theatre major Matthew Vesely. His piece “A Paler Shade of Green” references his affinity for pastel colors.
“Pastel colors are just a very calm version of regular colors,” Vesely said. “Primary colors are way overused.”
Vesely’s poem also touches on the notion of recreating the world with more complex humans who are, paradoxically, easier to understand.
Most of the works presented at “Rhythm and Prose” will be featured in the upcoming issue of Avant, which will be available in various academic buildings around campus, including Bunce Hall and Bozorth Hall.
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