Amid a controversial election season and several ongoing global conflicts, it has been a contentious year for college campuses in the United States. In an attempt to navigate these challenges, author Mónica Guzmán and President Danielle R. Holley delved into some of the issues that divide college students and American culture at large during the 2024 Common Read Talk on Nov. 19, focusing on political partisanship.
The Love/Hate Open Mic was held in the Cassani Room, which was decorated for Valentine’s Day. Photo courtsey of Kylie Gellatly FP ‘23.
By Sophie Frank ʼ26
Staff Writer
The Cassani Room in Shattuck Hall was strung with pink and red hearts and balloons on Feb. 13. A table was laid out with candy arranged in heart shapes, and extra chairs had been set out in rows to hold the throng of audience members who had come to hear their fellow Mount Holyoke students share their work. Almost every seat was filled.
The second annual Love/Hate Open Mic was hosted in a joint effort by the Mount Holyoke Review and the English department liaisons. The organizations have hosted open mic nights before; on Nov. 3, they hosted a Good/Evil Open Mic in the Abbey Memorial Chapel and this Love/Hate Open Mic night was the second of its kind, with the first held in February of 2022.
The Valentine’s Day Open Mic was open to all students to read poetry and prose on the theme of love and hate. Students shared poetry, personal essays and excerpts from longer projects. The students’ work was filled with biblical allusions, particularly to Eve in the Garden of Eden, as well as gothic language and self-reflection. Students meditated on sisterly love, childhood friendship, the endings of relationships and old enemies.
Junior Vivi Corré read a piece about a childhood friend they saw every summer and the way the relationship changed over time, reminiscing on turning 21, a glamorous age in the eyes of a small child, without their friend by their side. The piece garnered soft smiles from some audience members. A free verse poem on meeting a mystery woman online earned laughs, and students nodded rapturously at a piece that explored a woman at home going through the motions of traditional gendered chores. Many pieces carried an undertone of feminist existence within the patriarchy, and many students seemed completely tuned into the readings, throwing encouragement and support behind their fellow students.
The intimate venue and welcoming atmosphere allowed the students who wanted to share their work aloud to explore personal truths in a supportive space. Darwin Michener-Rutledge ʼ24, an English Department liaison, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, “This is the second time we’ve [hosted this event] now, and it’s always so exciting to hear what people are working on, especially because poetry is often so personal. And so to get together and share such big feelings in such a friendly space … is pretty magical.”
After each person who had signed up at the beginning of the event had read, the floor was opened to everyone in attendance. The openness and freedom of the event motivated many audience members to volunteer on the spot until the event ended. In addition to original writing, students read poetry and prose by famous writers that moved them and even song lyrics centered around the Love/Hate theme.
Vivi Corre ʼ24 read a piece she had written in a Mount Holyoke creative writing class. She described feeling hesitant to read after taking almost exclusively psychology classes for several semesters but wound up being proud of what she had written. “This was my first time reading anything I had written outside of [sharing it within the] English class, so that was kind of terrifying, but I’m really glad I did it because it just feels so satisfying,” she said.
Every person that read received enthusiastic applause and a red rose to commemorate their achievement. Many people lingered once the reading was over to take pictures, eat the candy laid before them and talk with the department liaisons. Students exited Shattuck Hall into a curiously warm February evening, ready to ring in Valentine’s Day following a night of student readings.
The Mount Holyoke Review and the English department liaisons promote events and share department news on Instagram under the handles @mountholyokereview and @mhcenglishliaisons. Students from any department are invited to attend future events.
