As Thanksgiving Break quickly approaches and the oppressive weight of midterm season begins easing off of the shoulders of Boston College students, there is no better time to take a breather from the stacks in O’Neill and reflect. In recognition of this optimal opportunity, a myriad of fine arts clubs on campus will hosting a collaborative, creative showcase at BC’s go-to coffee shop, Fuel America, this evening from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Given that this event is one of the few opportunities that these clubs have throughout the entire academic year to share their work with the larger BC community, the organizations participating in tonight’s event will showcase the works they have been perfecting since the beginning of the year. Members of groups such as the all women’s literary magazine, The Laughing Medusa, and The Stylus, the oldest and largest literary magazine on campus, will perform readings of their pieces alongside members of BC Slam, a spoken word poetry group.
“We did a similar event at Fuel last year that was without a doubt a success so we hope to establish this collaborative get together as an annual event,” said Nicola McCafferty, MCAS ’17 and editor in chief of The Laughing Medusa. “Keeping in mind that many have uneasy, anxious feelings with respect to the results of the election last week, in addition to the fact that the arts groups don’t have the chances to exchange and share our work, the event promises to provide an easy-going and creatively cathartic atmosphere.”
The event not only invites any and all BC students who can attend, but also welcomes members of the surrounding community. These arts groups hope to utilize the event as an opportunity to encourage the involvement of people within the community and to form relationships with those who might not normally encounter the works that these clubs publish. As an additional incentive, anyone in attendance of the event will be given a coupon for one free espresso drink and unlimited drip coffee, courtesy of the Fuel owners, as well as free Fuel pastries for those who arrive on time.
The coffee shop hosts about two to three BC events each month, which adds up to about 30 each year, according to co-owner Carlos Magalhaes.
“Because we’re so close to Boston College, we’re hoping to reach out and introduce the laid-back and friendliness of our business to new potential customers, in addition to giving back to the plethora of BC students who fill our shop on the daily,” Carlos Magalhaes said. “On average, we host anywhere from two to three BC events at our shop per month, which adds up to about thirty for the whole year. It’s definitely an enjoyable experience being able to give a space for our loyal BC customers to have a good time with one another.”
While the “artsy” composition of these on-campus organizations may intimidate some potential attendees, club leaders stress that any such feelings are unwarranted. They hope that event will provide those who do not necessarily have time to participate in the arts given their academic schedules with a chance to uncover to the innumerable opportunities available on campus.
The Laughing Medusa and The Stylus are the two main groups who in organized the event with Fuel, a process that began in late September. Members of both groups hope to attract new writers and artists to submit works to either of their biannual publications.
Allie Ward, editor-in-chief of The Stylus, talked about the distinct disciplines being showcased, including poetry, songs, creative non-fiction, paintings, and photographs. She is hoping that this exposure will display the diverse array of artistic talent BC has to offer to a larger community.
“[This will] be an open, carefree space for artistic and creative collaboration of all types of medium, it is the optimal, if not the only time, other than the release events for the literary magazines, for people on campus and in the community to get involved,” she said.
Featured Image by Julia Hopkins / Heights Editor
