Every year around the second week of November, social sciences librarian Alex Boris hosts a miniature version of the National November Writing Month — NaNoWriMo, for short. In her version of NaNoWriMo, a short story contest where participants are encouraged to write around 1,000 to1,500 words, participating students are given three prompts and one week to draft a short story around one of those prompts. This event occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
What stands out the most about Boris’ version of the NaNoWriMo event is the few hours at the start of the event, during which participants can choose to gather together to share ideas about the prompts, write in the company of others or just enjoy the event with people who share their interests.
Madeline Delhomme, a freshman majoring in classics and one of the many participants in the event, described the starting hours as a “safe space to share ideas.”
Alexis (Lexi) Kessens, a senior studying English, shared a sentiment similar to Delhomme’s.
“With an event like this, what you get out of it — that you don’t get out of every class — would be a sense of community,” Kessens said.
While a smaller event compared to the others around campus, Boris’ version of NaNoWriMo provides a great opportunity for people of all majors who share this passion for writing to form their own writing community.
The distinct lack of expectations in the event allows people to express themselves freely without fear of judgment from peers and professors alike. As a result, in a small corner of Hodges Library, a flourishing writing group can form over the course of only a few hours.
To some, however, the event provides both community and something more.
Kessens said that writing has been part of her life for a long time now, and she wishes to turn it into a career.
Meeting people who share her interests provides Kessens with not just a sense of community but also a sense of validation — especially at a time when the English major is seen as a risky path to pursue, according to Kessens.
Iris Loehr, a graduate student at UT pursuing an MFA in creative writing, shared another perspective on the event.
“I feel it’s important for people to write whether they plan on doing it as part of their career pathway or degree pathway,” Loehr said. “Any opportunity people have, and with the extra financial incentives like the gift card, is good.”
Participants of Boris’ miniature NaNoWriMo event, which also doubles as a contest judged by different judges each year, can earn a gift card. Loehr believes that the event’s structure provides an opportunity for those who rarely have a chance to write — or even those who do have chances to write — to write more.
And when writing is so relevant to how people communicate in today’s world, any opportunity to practice those skills may prove useful one day.
Whether a community or an opportunity, what started off as a simple event with seven participants five years ago now has tripled that amount in recent years. If what makes writing special are all the various lived experiences unique to a person, then the special ingredient in Boris’ event is its participants, who each see writing differently from one another.
For a few hours this Wednesday evening, each of those different participants came together for the same thing — writing.
“I think it’s nice and fun, and it gets people out of their shell a bit,” Boris said.
Cheyenne Gordon, a sophomore audiology and speech pathology major who is helping host the event for the first time, agreed with Boris.
“It’s a great community. Everyone in here seems to be having so much fun,” Gordon said.
The contest is still ongoing and open for more sign-ups. To enter, fill out this form.
