Poems, spooky stories, live music and more were shared in Stewart Hall last Thursday.
The Reflector, Shippensburg University’s student-run undergraduate journal, brought together its members and SU students for the special event.
A total of 14 performers presented various works, including self-written works and works from famous poets and artists.
Tomi May, the public relations director of The Reflector, read self-written poems, which included “The Orchard,” “From the Apple Trees” and “Self-Portrait as My Grandfather Remains.”
“I’ve been coming to these open mics since my freshman year,” May said. “I haven’t missed one since.”
Jean Stinchfield, a general member of The Reflector, sang “You Missed My Heart” by Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle.
“I used to perform pretty regularly growing up, and it’s kind of rare in adulthood if you’re not going into performance to find opportunities to express yourself in that way,” Stinchfield said. “I wanted to explore that again and kind of give myself stage fright and feel that adrenaline one more time.”
Morgyn Thomas, a general member, read a self-written piece, “The Blight of War on Innocence.”
“I performed what I did because it’s inspired by Tim O’Brien. He is a Vietnam War novelist, and I just really love his work and it inspired me to write something like a little political piece,” Thomas said.
Gretchen Lambie, a general member, read an untitled self-written piece.
“I think it’s a good community to share either poems or prose, and it’s just a good environment to be able to share a piece of yourself,” Lambie said.
Katelyn Mader, the editor-in-chief of The Reflector, visions a strong purpose in hosting this annual event.
“We were trying to get our name out to the entire campus, as well as making sure we had plenty of opportunities for people coming in,” Mader said. “We wanted to let them know what all they can do, as well as just providing some fun for them to show up.”
For more information about The Reflector, check out its Instagram at @shippensburg.reflector.
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