Boston College students gathered at Fuel America in Brighton to read the works from The Laughing Medusa’s fall zine “The Lingering Medusa” and Stylus’ fall magazine on Thursday night.
The event welcomed students familiar and unfamiliar with the publications. Upon entering the coffee shop, there was a welcoming atmosphere and an evident sense of community within the space.
The event kicked off with a social hour where students had the opportunity to order a drink—on the house—and eat sandwiches as they caught up with other attendees and writers for the publications. The editors and staff of both Stylus and Laughing Medusa greeted guests as they walked in.
Hard copies of both groups’ new publications were available for attendees to take. The booklets contained a mix of both photos and writing, providing a balance between the different art forms.
After the social hour, writers from both publications alternated reading their work, which ranged from short stories to poems to allegories. The diverse assortment of writing was intriguing and brought variety to the event.
Each reading was consistently met with warm applause or snapping from the audience. Some unsuspecting writers came up to the stage due to encouragement from their friends and peers. Regardless, everyone spoke with confidence and assurance, speaking to an encouraging audience.
Stylus president and editor-in-chief Patrick Conlan, MCAS ’23, kicked off the readings with his conceptual poem “Notes from an O’Neill Cubicle.” Conlan based his writing off the notes an avid studier may find etched into or sharpied on a desk in O’Neill Library.
Next, Lillian Smith, editor-in-chief of Laughing Medusa and MCAS ’23, read her haiku “A Haiku for October.” In the poem, Smith relates people at a party asking what she is dressed as for Halloween to an identity crisis. Alongside this poem in the zine was a photograph taken by Lauren Foster, MCAS ’23, titled “Don’t Look Down,” depicting an upward shot of a series of railings.
Henry Troake, MCAS ’25, fittingly read a poem titled “The Coffee Shop,” which described the feeling of going home through the sights and feelings of being in a familiar café.
The night came to a gradual end as introductions for new readers trickled to a stop, and people reconnected with friends before they made their final exit from the café.
You must be logged in to post a comment.