Writers Week XIV

Another year at Fremd and another Writers Week. While I personally feel that this year was really just more of the same, the pleasure of attending such an even has certainly not been diminished. One guest that I've had the good luck of seeing every year so far is Marc Smith. To me, he doesn't just represent writers as a whole, but a role model; a source of real human genius and emotion. His often humorous poems almost always include some sort of underlying message that makes you think long after you've attended his performance. One good example would be the poem with the "money makes the world go 'round" song. As I fervent capitalist, I cannot agree with his political views, but it does bring to light the evils of such a system; one where people will do close to anything for material gains. But even if his poems meant nothing to me, I will try to remember his words, "Now is all there ever was and all there ever will be."

One other individual that has made me reconsider my views was Scott Woldman of Scott Woldman and Co. While he himself didn't talk very much (I think the director took all the questions), his story for Speed Dating: The Musical has made me rethink the way I approach new music and moreover, musical theater. The appeal of this specific piece was the way he decided to approach one of the all important questions of all of our lives: what is love? While we weren't given an answer in our session, I don't doubt that the audience members will have dazzling revelations during the premier. Just because of the nature of certain popular musicals that were in circulation (particularly RENT and Wicked), I didn't pay much attention to them. But after sitting through what I thought was going to be a boring musical (something silly based upon a silly concept could only mean more silly-ness) turned out to be quite entertaining, though I don't think singing, "Will you will you will you will you sleep with me?" is gonna get me any closer to a girlfriend.

Finally, the most exciting part of Writers Week (for me anyway): the student writers! While I wasn't able to make any of the performances of my classmates (sincere apologies, guys) I was able to catch a few good friends and cheer them on. Wednesday heard the struggle in Sarah Glazer's short story and saw Steph Tham's interesting relationship with college as well as Greggy-T's lament of bygone days and Rita Pello's hyperactive, winking dog. Thursday was an even better treat with Sheades and Mealy. It seems like every year our own writers get better and better and maybe one day, I'll have the courage to stand up there with them, complaining about my dead-end job, speaking my heart, or making light of a disastrous situation. Writers Week forever!