Last Wednesday, Jan. 29, more than 35 people gathered in Beans Coffee Shop for an open mic night presented by both DU’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, an international English honor society and DU’s “Foothills Journal,” an annual visual and textual publication. Nearly 20 people shared their poetry, writing and music during the event.
According to Sigma Tau Delta President and “Foothills Journal” Prose Editor Kayla Coburn, the event was intended to encourage students to share their writing with other members of the campus community.
“The writing community is so strong here, I was just wondering why we never had a night where students could come share their work,” she said.
Coburn added that outside authors are often brought to campus to read their work, and she wanted to see similar opportunities extended to students as well.
Sigma Tau Delta Vice President and “Foothills Journal” Assistant Editor Annie Wiegel said the event was also intended to inspire writing among students, and that it was so successful she hopes to establish it as a monthly event in the future.
“We’re sort of fostering creative writing in people who are interested in English literature and language,” said Wiegel. “People were excited about it. We had more people than seats available, so that was good.”
Another reason for holding the event, according to Coburn and Wiegel, was to get the word out to students about both Sigma Tau Delta and “Foothills Journal.”
“We definitely worked as a team with this,” said Coburn. “It was about raising awareness for both of our organizations while getting the writing community to be able to share their work with each other.”
Coburn pointed to the fact that Sigma Tau Delta has not had a strong presence on campus in recent years, and said she hoped the event would change that.
“Not a lot of people know about [Sigma Tau Delta], and there weren’t a lot of people involved with it even if they were a member,” she said. “So we were just trying to spread the word.”
Additionally, the event was intended to convince people to submit to and be more aware of “Foothills Journal,” according to Wiegel.
“Our main focus is getting [“Foothills Journal”] to be something that people recognize, respect and want to contribute to,” said Wiegel.
Dylan Hyman, a junior philosophy major who said he plans to submit to “Foothills Journal,” also said he enjoyed the opportunity the event provided for people to share their work.
“It was fantastic to see that so many writers and artists were willing to get up and speak their minds,” he said. “I personally think they should do this every week.”
Melanie Borders, a senior English major, said she enjoyed the atmosphere of the event, and is also planning to submit some of her work to “Foothills Journal” this year.
“I really like the casual vibe going on here. It’s very open and welcoming. You don’t have to be an advanced writer or poet to participate,” said Borders. “This is also a good opportunity to meet people who are studying the same things and are interested in the same things outside of class.”
Both Coburn and Wiegel encouraged people to submit to “Foothills Journal,” which will have a theme of “Then and Now” to go along with DU’s sesquicentennial celebrations.
“We’re open to any and all submissions,” said Coburn. “We’re dedicating ourselves to trying to make it possible for people to publish.”
Those interested in submitting poetry, prose or 2D art are encouraged to email their submissions to du.foothillsmagazine@gmail.com by Feb. 5. More information can be found on the Foothills Facebook page.
