Tennessee Tech showcased student writing projects Tuesday during its 20th Annual Festival of Student Writing.
Founder and Lead Coordinator Tony Baker said students showcase a wide range of topics provided by their individual instructors. Baker said he got the idea to throw a festival like this while attending a conference.
“The festival’s older than the students that will be presenting there so it makes me feel old man,” Baker said. “But, so I basically adapted, or stole, this idea from Eastern Michigan University. They sent their composition specialist to a conference and I heard about it at this conference and went, ‘We could do that, we could do that for no money!’”
The event featured more than writing, displaying brochures, posters, exhibits, and presentations. Baker said the festival challenges students who are used to writing for their teacher to write for a new audience, the general population.
“Here they might be more engaged with their projects,” Baker said. “Because they know they’re going to have to talk about it with a couple other hundred people in the room one by one by one.”
Baker said a lot of students at the end of their semester regularly say that the festival is among the highlights of their year.
“It’s a pretty lively, some might say chaotic event,” Baker said. “But it is spirited, students are engaged, they are talking to people who pass by their booth, or their station, or their project, they’re asking each other questions. It’s not assessed at all.”
Baker said the festival helps break down the walls of English Composition, a class required by, and sometimes dreaded by, all majors. Baker said since beginning the festival more than 20 years ago, he’s seen the idea exported to other universities as well.
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