The Student Writing Council will hold Open Write Night, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m., in Room 2227 of the Student Center.
"Basically, it's open mic night for writers," said Haley Petcher, president of the SWC and senior in English, "People write poetry and short stories and it's a really open environment. It's specifically tailored to writers and not singer/songwriters. Our group is trying to promote writing."
Petcher said the event is also a time for people to get involved in other SWC activities.
Students, professors and people of the community are welcome to attend the event.
"It's great for any creative writing majors, but I think there are lots of people who are great at writing who aren't creative writing majors and it would be great for them," said Gabby Bates, senior in English. "I would encourage people to write things specifically for this opportunity because you're not getting graded for it and you'll get lots of encouragement from the audience."
Attendees are welcome to wear Halloween-themed outfits to this particular event because of the proximity to Halloween, but costumes is not required.
Approximately 30-40 people typically attend each reading event.
There are multiple Open Write Nights throughout the semester.
"We like to spread (events) out, so if the same people want to come they can bring new material," Petcher said.
The Open Write Night is also a time for beginner readers to get acclimated to speaking in front of audiences.
"Open Write Night is the best way to build up confidence in reading out loud," Bates said. "When I started, I was intimidated and scared, but the audience is the perfect size and everyone is so encouraging and now I'm not scared at all."
Zach Welman, vice president of SWC, said he read a short story about his trip in London during the summer at the group's first event this semester.
"I was nervous at first because I have never read, but it was a small group of people I knew," Welman said. "Everyone is pretty supportive."
Petcher said the SWC is considering having more Open Write Nights in the spring if enough people are interested.
"It's good to put yourself out there and you can get really good feedback from people," Petcher said. "It's a way to support the artists and keep writing alive out there."
Welman said he recommends Open Write Night for anyone who has ever written something, but is unsure about reading.
"People who haven't had much experience, this is one of the more easy going events and it's an inviting atmosphere," Welman said.
Registration is not mandatory.
Potential readers are encouraged to email stuwrite@auburn.edu for more information.
The Student Writing Council meets Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Office of the University Writing Center on the third floor of RBD library.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
