This was an exceptional evening at the CASL building on campus. The occasion was the UMD writing awards. The awards were given out to some deserving UMD students for the poems and essays they wrote. I was greeted in the lobby by Professor Potvin, and offered some nice snacks, and seasonally fresh cider. A very comfortable feeling was in the air as I stepped into the ceremony room. The lights were dimmed, and voices were kept low as everyone waited for the ceremony to begin. The sound system was pleasant as Professor Potvin began introducing the UMD dignitaries and guests. The names of the recipients were announced. Some of the recipients were not there to pick up their awards in person. A few winners there read their writings to us.
As I listened to each one read their work out loud to us, I had to think that it must be hard to read to an audience for some of them. Putting yourself out there like that is like bearing your soul to the public. Of course, with us being students also, it's not so bad because we understand what it's like to have to do that sometimes. Everyone did a beautiful job conveying the emotions of their writings while reading. One of the first read was about tornados. This poem let you feel like you were there, to see the devastation left from a tornado. I can't remember the exact names of the poems and essays, but I did jot down the ones I liked the best. The story I liked best of all was the home school one. It was in the non-fiction category. I liked how she places us with her as a child, and how she looked at her mother. This story gave me a very good, real life type of feeling, and left me wanting to hear more.
I have never been to a writing awards ceremony before. In this day and age with everything fast paced, it's great to sit down and enjoy listening to someone reading out loud. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. Listening, I didn't have to focus on reading the print. I could sit back, close my eyes and relax! I could see the images in my own mind as I heard the words being read. This was really a nice experience. The entire tone of the event was very pleasant. Congratulations to all the award winners!