Zakes Mda opened the Writers Harvest event last night by recalling a cantankerous mentor, sharing a room with a Japanese exchange student, and Jane Fonda.
Mda, a world-renowned fiction and playwriting professor at Ohio University, remembered his time at OU with a reading from his memoir at last night’s event. His presentation set the tone for the annual event that featured three professors sharing excerpts from their work in front of an audience of students and community members.
The event is part of an annual push to raise money for charity through collaboration with writers. David Wanczyk, special programs coordinator for the English department, organized the event and chose the readers.
“We like to have a couple of professors and then someone who is a part of the community or is early on in their career,” Wanczyk said. “Two of the readers are professors at OU. It was a good time to choose them. They’ve both read at the event before.”
Besides Mda, the event featured Mark Halliday, an OU professor of poetry and distinguished poet, and Rachael Peckham, a 2009 OU graduate and poet who teaches at Marshall University.
Halliday participated in the event in 2003 and said he was eager to lend his work a second time.
“There’s a good spirit to it, because some people in the audience are students or former students of the people on stage,” Halliday said. “I’m just glad to have a chance to read my poems.”
Proceeds from the Writers Harvest benefit the Southeastern Ohio Food Bank, which allows for greater awareness and collaboration between students and the Athens region, said Joe Plicka, a visiting assistant professor.
“I don’t think sometimes students realize where we live is one of the most depressed regions in the country,” Plicka said.
“I think it’s easy to forget, since we’re at this great university with lots of funding, that we’re also surrounded by serious poverty. Many people come to rely on food banks to make ends meet.”
For the first time, the event was held at the Forum Theater in the Radio-Television Building. This opened about 50 more seats to attendees, Wanczyk said.
“It was great,” said Trent McDonald, a sophomore studying English. “Mark Halliday is one of the funniest people I’ve ever heard. Zakes Mda’s college experience closely parallels a contemporary
college experience.”
Mary Brett Koplen, a senior studying English, agreed with McDonald and added that the event offered a new perspective on professors.
“I think it’s always fun to have professors in the spotlight sharing their work,” she said. “It makes them feel much more real.”
After sharing his work, Mda said he felt confident about the event.
“I think it was good; it was successful,” Mda said. “I enjoyed the readings by the other two, which also made it pleasurable.”
jf392708@ohiou.edu
