This past Friday, Common Ground held their bi-semester Reading Series in the Alumni Lounge. The event was an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to come together and share some of the writing they’ve been working on.

The event featured a wide variety of writers reading work ranging from poetry about mental health to snippets from fiction works. Despite the personal nature of many of the works read, the students reading were open to sharing these inner thoughts as a way to connect to their fellow writers. During the event, the group of attendees were very supportive to those who were sharing their pieces.

Alexis Galant, a sophomore majoring in English, elaborated on the importance of the poems she presented.

“The poems that I read are both very internal works,” Galant said. “All of my poems are reflective of my subconscious. The poem style is creepy and horror-esque because I want to embody my subconscious, but also make it in a way that’s ambiguous and kind of makes the reader react in a certain way through description and horror and stuff like that.”

Common Ground is an organization that aims to bring together writers from across Binghamton University to create a community where writers can share with their peers. While the organization used to only include Ph.D. students, it has grown to include all students who are interested.

Alycia Calvert, a coordinator of Common Ground and a second-year Ph.D. candidate in English, explained how the organization benefits writers and the campus community.

“I envision this as a space where we can build community,” Calvert said. “As a space where we can share in that idea of creation, and also build a place where it’s okay to get up and say the wrong thing — and realize that that is also part of the writing process.”

The events held by Common Ground aim to enhance writers’ skills by providing a space where writers can connect by both sharing and listening to the works of others.

Shannon Hearn, a coordinator for Common Ground and a third year Ph.D. candidate in English, described the importance of reading a piece of writing to a group.

“There is this cool thing that is happening as you are speaking these ideas that you’re producing,” Hearn said. “You are taking in all of these things that are happening — politically and personally — and you’re churning them with insight and creating these words, so that other people are then inspired by those things. It’s cool.”

The vulnerability displayed by sharing personal work may be nerve-wracking, but it can create a deeper understanding of one’s writing and its impact on others. Hearing a piece of writing out loud could help writers have a better relationship with their work, understanding the impacts of their piece and how it flows.

The Reading Series event is presented once a semester, but that is not all Common Ground offers. Later this semester, there will be an event that allows graduating students to present their writing in a similar format. The organization urges students to attend this event and other future events if they are interested in sharing the art of writing in this type of setting.

Editor’s Note (2/29/24): This article has been corrected to make it clear that the event is bi-semester, not bi-annual.