Let your voice be heard.
It is a simple idea that will address a complicated problem: your reaction to the events of Sept. 11. Students from a College Writing 112 class need your submissions by Nov. 26 to compile an anthology based on this idea. The collection, to be distributed campus-wide, will include essays, poems, journal entries, artwork, or any other original pieces.
Teacher Rita Rich said that the idea for this work came about after class discussion, and when a student in her class, who had been an intern at the World Trade Center last year, dealt with his immediate reactions to the terrorist attacks in an essay.
“We talked about how overwhelmed we feel by news coverage,” she said. “We’d like to hear more personal accounts about the condition of the country.”
The anthology is in its initial phases, although much work has gone into it already. Students have been busy getting the word out, writing press releases and working on the website (http://more.at/BeHeard). When the submissions come in, they will collectively select and edit them.
Rich said that the Writing Program publishes an annual anthology of student work, but this project has taken on an immediate importance.
“We feel a kind of urgency to get some of this writing out for others to read now,” she said.
The anthology doesn’t have one particular theme, but students have been talking about what they’d like to see in the submitted pieces. Class discussions have stressed connecting and relating to the community.
“We want initial reaction,” said Lisa Handy, a freshman in the section six Honors class. “We want all different points of view, from all backgrounds, and we want to know about emotions that people will relate to.”
Rich has made community an important element in this project. But she’s not sure what exactly the impact will be within the community. She hopes that the voices of the writers are heard.
“I hope that my students leave this course knowing that they have made a positive contribution to our community,” she said. “In a time of immense difficulty, they have found a way to channel fear and uncertainty into a sense of connectedness.”
Students have echoed this sentiment.
“I think a lot of people felt alone after the attacks,” said Handy. “I hope this helps them to know that other people felt the same way, so they have the peace of mind that they’re not alone.”
The anthology, in the end, will offer a catharsis for both the writers and the readers. Sharing and talking about reactions to this tragedy is way to understand and deal with what has happened. We each have unique thoughts on Sept. 11. Now is the time to give them voice.
Entries must be submitted by Nov. 26. Entries may be essays up to 1000 words, or poems, cartoons, journal entries, artwork, or any other original work reflecting on Sept. 11. You may submit entries via email to [email protected], or they maybe dropped off or mailed to Rita Rich/ Be Heard, c/o UMass Writing Program, 305 Bartlett Hall. There will also be a drop-off box at the Campus Center information desk. You must include a cover sheet with your contact information, such as your name, telephone number and email address.
