Wilkes Honors College Celebrates National Day on Writing

The Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College (WHC) celebrated National Day on Writing in the Robert J. Huckshorn Arboretum on Oct. 18.

Rebecca Stanley, a junior in the Honors College and its current Writer in Residence, officially passed the baton to the new Writer in Residence, Blue Zurita, a sophomore. The annual post, which is open to all WHC students, comes with a financial award, writing mentorships from faculty, and opportunities to share their work in public venues and to meet top authors. Writers in Residence are also encouraged to mentor their fellow students and organize opportunities for students to develop and share their creative works.

This year’s event also included an immersive activity for attendees where they cut out excerpts from magazines and blocked out sections of text, leaving behind a work of poetry. They were then encouraged to read aloud the poems or another work of their choosing to the group. Several WHC students, including Stanley and Zurita, shared examples of their original writing.

National Day on Writing is recognized each year in October. It was founded by the National Council of Teachers of English to recognize the importance of writing in people’s daily lives.