Works from Edgar Allen Poe, Ernest Hemingway and Kanye West were all brought together for the Norman H. Ott Memorial Writing Center’s third annual Writer Fight Club.
Each competitor chose a writer to represent, including authors, poets and even musicians. Throughout the competition they went under the alias of their chosen authors.
The competitors chose quotes from their authors that best represent the writer as a whole.
Competing in brackets, they went against each other, each reciting two quotes at a time. The audience’s applause determined which competitor would move onto the next round. This year, 16 people ranging from students, alumni, faculty and even children came out to compete.
“Poetry and fiction is meant to be read out loud,” C.J. Hribal, an English professor and last year’s winner, said. “It’s good to hear the voice of the author come alive.”
Lisa Bonvissuto, a Marquette alum, started Writer Fight Club three years ago. Bonvissuto had heard other universities hosted Writer Fight Clubs, so she decided to bring it to campus. Other employees of the Writing Center have carried on the tradition.
“This is the only major event the Writing Center puts on (and) people come and participate,” said Brynn Lee, a senior in the College of Communication and one of the coordinators of the event. “It illustrates how big the literature-loving community is.”
“It’s a way to get people involved in writing,” said Meghan Flannery, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and another coordinator.
Over 80 students, faculty and staff came to watch the night’s events.
This year’s winner was Heather James, a research and instructional services librarian at Raynor Memorial Library. She took on the identity of American poet Kim Addonizio.
Faculty and staff said they are more than thrilled to have students participate in events such as this.
“Any time you have students get together like this, the camaraderie allows people to pick and recite readers they want to share with others,” James said. “The competition is a fun element, too.”