Six-word autobiographies, short story writing, sticky notes, colorful pens, chalk writing on the ground. They all speak to one thing: the National Day on Writing.
“I write to tell my story. I write to inspire and uplift others,” said Megan McCrory, a junior professional writing major.
“I write to express myself. It is powerful and relieving,” said Mia Meschini, a freshman English major.
Added English professor Kimbel Westerson: “I write because I can’t NOT write."
Everyone writes for different reasons, but the point is that writing is for everyone.
This is exactly why Grand Canyon University’s English Department hosts the National Day on Writing every year. The event was created by the National Council of Teachers of English, which wanted to celebrate that writing can be created in so many ways and expressed by everyone, regardless of skill level.
“At first, students were a little baffled by seeing chalk everywhere, asking, ‘What is this?’ But then they got into it. The creative juices were flowing, and they stayed for a while,” said Westerson.
Sticky notes filled the six-word autobiography cork board with quirky, short messages, such as: “Is a bit of a dreamer,” “Sorry, I really can not spell,” and “Poet’s heart, doctor’s handwriting, teacher’s mind.”
Short stories filled giant note pads, but not the typical kind, as each student wrote only one line of each story. What started out as, “Once upon a time I was walking to class,” ended with, “Their tyrannical rule must come to an end one day.”
What happened in THAT class? Who is ruling what? It’s the mystery of writing.
“Students can write for fun, not just assignments," Westerson said.
And that is exactly what they did.
Students from all classes and majors gathered on the Promenade for the event. Chalk writing and even drawings colored the walkway, which only continued to draw more attention to the event and intrigued people to stop by and participate.
... And, of course, write.
GCU's Staff Writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
