With a can of food in one hand and a book in the other, readers and writers gathered together to help their community and raise up Colorado State University writers.
The English department at CSU put on the Creative Writing Reading Series: Writer’s Harvest, an annual celebration of work from writers. It’s been happening at CSU for the past 20 years. It is also a way to raise donations for the Food Bank for Larimer County, as attendees are encouraged to bring nonperishables. In return, those who bring food can be entered into a raffle for various prizes from books to gift cards. All prizes were donated by bookstores, CSU departments and local Fort Collins businesses.
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There were three writers at the event: Andrew Altschul, Sasha Steensen and Sarah Perry.
“It’s so great to get up and read and know that it’s directly for a good cause.” -Sarah Perry, memoirs and short story author
Altschul writes in multiple different genres, including novels and short stories. He said he writes to explore and try to understand the world.
“The fiction I write is often trying to put that reality under a microscope,” Altschul said.
He expressed admiration for the goals of the Writer’s Harvest, as it enables artists to have a platform to help those in need.
Altschul read from a short story titled “Halle Berry,” a comedy which followed the interactions and perceived slights between a white family and their Black waitress. It explored the idea of the hypervigilant vigilante, seeing everything as a perceived slight, even when most don’t see it that way.
Poet and essayist Steensen writes from her experiences and takes inspiration from the media she ingests, like books and visual art as well as history.
“Most importantly, as a fundraiser, … it just feels like a generative and good event,” Steensen said.
Steensen read from a book of poems and essays titled “Well.” It centers on her experiences and battles with cancer and allowed her to express her fears, concerns and hopes during a dark point of her life.
Perry is a memoir and short story writer. Her writing focuses on drama, love and pleasure. She writes about power dynamics and gender. Like the other authors, she writes stories used to explore and navigate the world she is a part of.
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“It’s so great to get up and read and know that it’s directly for a good cause,” Perry said about the Writer’s Harvest.
Perry read from an essay collection set to be released in February 2025 called “Sweet Nothings: Confessions of a Candy Lover.” The essays are centered on various candies, including Swedish Fish and Circus Peanuts. These essays cover difficult topics and take a scrutinizing look at past events.
The Writer’s Harvest gives artists an opportunity to raise up those less fortunate, giving voices to people who are often unseen and unheard. It brings the community closer together through thought-provoking writing and the joy of helping others.
The next Creative Writing Reading Series event is the MFA Thesis Reading Dec. 5 at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
