Bridget Gilroy ’14, Staff Writer
Finding a place to let your creative energy flow can be difficult. Places like a dorm room or a public area like the library can be distracting. But there is a place on campus that opened this past September where a student can focus and let their imagination take over.
The Writer’s House was designed to be a place where students of all areas of study can go to relax and read, write, share their works with others as well as listen to guest speakers. Andrea Cohen, the Director of the Writer’s House stated “The Writers House is dedicated to creative writing, reading, and thinking. We are, fundamentally, committed to these intangibles: inspiration and the imagination”. The environment inside is conducive to every student wanting to work privately on a project or share their ideas with fellow members of the Merrimack community.
A student doesn’t have to worry about being an experienced writer to go to the Writer’s House. Students of any writing background are more than welcome to come by and spend some time there.
If you are more of a listener, there are constantly events going on in the Writer’s House. Cohen shared, “Here, students, faculty, staff and the wider community can be inspired by top-notch writers and thinkers, such as Pulitzer Prize winner Gail Caldwell, U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinksy, renowned civil engineer Henry Petroski, and MacArthur “Genius” Award winner Anna Schuleit Haber.”
Coming up this month at the Writer’s House on November 13 at 3:30pm there will be a tribute to Seamus Heaney, an Irish writer who passed away this year. Students are encouraged to bring one of Heaney’s poems or translations to read aloud. On November 21 at 7pm the first coffeehouse will be taking place in the Writer’s House. Students can read a poem they have been working on, a song or a film they have been working on, any project they want to share with the community.
Senior Robert Cannella is an intern for the Writer’s House as well as the managing editor of the online literary journal. Cannella stated “The thing I want to stress is that the Writers House is what we as students want to make it. We’re always open to new people coming by, and we would love to hear new ideas about events or services we can offer.”
The Writer’s House can be found on Cullan Avenue, past the Dunkin Donuts and is the last entryway into the new athletic complex. It is open Monday through Thursday 9am to 9pm and Fridays during the day. For more information about the Writer’s House, check out the Facebook page Facebook.com/MCWritersHouse or email WritersHouse@Merrimack.edu.
