Endurance walker Matt Livermanne is walking from Weber State University to the Salt Lake Community College Community Writing Center (SLCC CWC) on October 21. Expected to arrive sometime between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., Livermanne is celebrating the SLCC CWC’s 10th anniversary.
The SLCC CWC will be holding an all-day celebration on Saturday, October 22. Open to the public, festivities will begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue until 4:00 p.m. at the SLCC CWC on Library Square. Activities will feature several ways to play with the written word. Cake will be served at 5:00 p.m. and there will be a DiverseCity reading at 6:00 p.m.
“We truly believe that everyone can write,” said Andrea Malouf, director of the SLCC CWC.
Activities planned for the day include stone poetry, magnetic poetry, an exquisite corpse, minimalist memoirs, Dada poetry, “Post Secret” and the Fortune Teller Write-off.
Participants can rock out with stone poetry. Stones will be provided for anyone who would like to rock the world with their words. When done, participants can place the rocks somewhere on Library Square or at their own home. Good poetry could be a stone’s throw away.
For a more ephemeral writing experience, participants can try their hands at magnetic poetry. “Gigantic” magnetic words will be available for participants to manipulate. This activity is for those who are looking to stick with writing.
Just in time for Halloween is the “exquisite corpse” activity. Not as gruesome as it sounds, an exquisite corpse is created as different writers add sentences without knowing what was written by those who came before.
Summing up someone’s life in six words seems like an impossible task, yet participants will have the opportunity to “Say it in Six.” Minimalist memoirs take the art of short stories to a new word limit.
Dadaism started in Switzerland in about 1916. Seen as the basis for abstract art, Dadaism tried to break away from the art forms of the times. Cut out some words, mix them up and stick them to some paper for an interesting juxtaposition that may or may not have any meaning.
“Post Secret” artwork gives participants the opportunity to create a postcard-sized work of art that combines words and images. People are encouraged to tell a secret, a story or a joke for this project. More than one creation may be considered serial.
With a pen, participants will be able to craft their own fortunes at the Fortune Teller Write-off. No palm-reading skills are required.
The activities are family-friendly and happen throughout the day. Children are welcome to come create. The event is free and no registration is required.
“Writing is a collaborative process,” said Malouf.
The SLCC CWC offers members of the community the opportunity to use their writing skills in a way that the participant finds useful. It holds workshops that include the DiverseCity Writing series and Writing for Change.
Livermanne is training to break the world record for walking across the United States.