During alumni weekend, I got the opportunity to attend an alumni author event in the Trexler Library. I attended this event for another class and did a deep dive into what this event represented as a performance. Here I will talk more about how I experienced this event from a personal perspective. The idea of the event was that a group of about eight alumni authors came together to discuss their books. It was marketed as a space where we would learn about their process and how Muhlenberg was part of their journey to becoming a published author, but that is not what happened at all. 

I found this event to be very disorganized and overwhelming. It took place on the main floor lobby of the library and was in no way sectioned off from the regular foot traffic of this area. There were people there for the event and people who just happened to be wandering through. This led to a cacophony of sounds and distractions which made the event almost painful to sit through regardless of whether the content was worthwhile or not. 

The content itself was not exactly what was promised. I was expecting to learn more about the journeys of these published writers, but instead I felt as though they were all in a bragging competition with their colleagues. The transitions between writers’ presentations were choppy, unplanned, and disorganized. There were only two female writers and a large portion of the remainder of the writers were old white men. Two of these men were quite literally arguing over who was the oldest one in the room. This was one of the first examples of unnecessary conflict that I experienced in space. Throughout the rest of the event these men and others constantly felt as if they were attempting to one up each other. It felt less like an organized event for students and alumni and more like a bantering match between old chums. 

In the end I did not feel like I had learned a lot about writing, but I had gotten a sense for the community that is created between alumni. Despite their competition and bantering you could tell that they all had solid connection and respect for each other. This filled me with excitement to join this alumni network and have spaces like this and others in my future. Even if this wasn’t a great event from an audience perspective, it was still a warm space for these people to communicate and I am glad to know my college is able to provide that for alum.