Writing Center and Quadrangle hosts open mic

By Courtney Lyons, Contributor

In anticipation of the Halloween celebration that seeks to annually reignite interest in eerie poetry and prose, the Writing Center and Quadrangle together hosted a Spooky Open Mic on Tuesday, Oct. 24. Participants were encouraged to bring an original work or the work of another — spooky or not — to perform.

The audience first seemed to be captivated by the expansive creativity of Canisius students, especially from Briana Wasil and Royce Breslawski, who frequently contribute to The Griffin’s Creative Corner. Wasil delivered her eloquently-written poem, entitled “A Piano Trip to Apparition.” Breslawski followed that performance with a piece from his poetry collection, “All Men are Sand” — inspired by his time on Block Island —, entitled “The Place I Wait.”

Following the literary ingenuity of Canisius students, fan-favorite haunting tales were told. From Maeve Devine’s oration of Edgar Allan Poe’s universally well-known poem “The Raven” to Emma Radel’s introduction into the little-known, yet intricate internet lore known as “creepypasta,” the evening was not lacking in entertainment. Anthony Fuszara’s dramatic, spoken-word rendition of Nicki Minaj’s verse from Kanye's song, “Monster,” elicited a tearful reaction from the audience — from laughter, of course.

All are welcome to perform at, or merely observe, future open mic events held in the Writing Center. The Quadrangle executive board expressed at the open mic that submissions for this year’s literary magazine will be opening up in November. The team encouraged all the creative minds of the campus community to submit their original work, from prose to photographs.