By Emma Bracken 

Northwest Arkansas is home to a vibrant scene of creative minds, from musicians and poets to comedians and painters. The colorful blend of art and storytelling that is born from this area is fueled by creative opportunities presented by the University of Arkansas. The university’s Master of Fine Arts program comes together each year to showcase the talent of its graduate students studying one of three concentrations: poetry, fiction and translation. Students from each discipline are able to show off their talent and seek inspiration from their peers and fellow community at the highly anticipated Writers by the Light event. 

This year’s Writers by the Light was hosted Nov. 18, giving students and other enjoyers of creative writing a chance to gather before the holiday season kicks off in full force. At a time when life feels busy, crowded and uncertain, spaces like this are incredibly valuable. Creative spaces can bring brevity and fun but also are a moment for people to be vulnerable and express themselves without judgment. 

Claire Scott, a third-year poet in the MFA program, views the event as an opportunity to see the hard work of her peers as well as share her own with the larger community. As both a lover of poetry and stand-up comedy, Scott has been to numerous open mic events and public readings.

“There are very few chances to kind of perform and share (your work) in this way that can reach people,” Scott said. 

Hosts of the event, Lizzie Fox and Kate Stolfuz, aimed to create a fun space that allows students to connect to those outside of their genre. Students are able to grow as writers but also feel supported by their creative community.

“I’m really glad that we do this,” Stolfuz said. “Usually, all of the students are quite siloed in their own genres and classes and don’t get to come together.”

For Scott and many others, finding these events, either through the university or around Fayetteville, is an opportunity to let their art speak to people. Scott highlighted Fayetteville’s Club 509 as being a space where comedians and poets alike are invited regularly to showcase their work to an eager crowd in an open mic format.

“One of the goals of writing poems, at least for me, is connecting to people,” Scott said. “I started writing because reading other stuff helped me feel understood. So the goal is — through some of my writing — to share that and for other people to feel a similar understanding.”

Connor Weirich, another MFA student, described a similar relationship to connecting to people through art. 

“Art is not just meant to be shared, art is sharing,” Weinrich said. “It’s crucial, especially in this age, to carve out the time and space to gather with others for the explicit purpose of sharing our art.”

The feeling created between people who are able to connect at the level of vulnerability required for any type of art is one of comfort and community. For someone to go up on stage and openly express themselves, they need to be truly passionate about what they are sharing. The local performance environment is perfect to foster this creative energy and turn it into something more profound. According to Scott, these places are safe and healing, made for both the sharing and experiencing of art.

As well as providing a place where artists and creatives can feel safe and supported by each other, open mics provide a place to showcase all of the talent we have in our community in the Ozarks. Whether writers and speakers are coming from the university or from the next town over, these events attract the hidden talent of Northwest Arkansas. Supporting our local artists in this way assures the voices of our community are being uplifted. As the region grows, it is important that the voices here are not muffled. 

“Celebrating community artists in whatever form is really important,” Scott said. “Having grown up in Fayetteville, I have seen the way the region has grown. A lot of that is really awesome. But also, it’s important to focus on the people who are local here, too, and supporting local art: both what comes in and what is already here.”

Through highlighting local voices, a tighter-knit community is born. Whether through the emotional understanding created between a performer and an audience member who relates to their feelings or perhaps just a friendliness between attendees, there is connection brimming from these events. In times when people are not sure where to turn to, there is a place in the artistic sphere waiting for them. 

Stolfuz explained that there is an opportunity in events like this for artists to remember that they are not alone. Writers by the Light reminds these students that they have all decided to be here, in Arkansas, to create art and improve upon their artistry. Though this event is culminated by U of A graduate students, there is a need beyond these more narrow circles for open, creative spaces in the community. 

“The world is scary, life is scary, and it’s so easy to feel powerless and small,” Weirich said. “Coming together and sharing, in some fashion or another — our pain, exhaustion, delight, frustration, hope, fear, all of it — that has the power to remind us that not only are we not alone, we are many, and we are okay.”

Open mics and other local performance events are crucial in providing artists with community, inspiration and sanctuary. Without these events, there is no stepping stool for local creators to take their ideas from their own minds out into the world. They are the backbone of creativity, from giving stage to emerging comedians or shining a light on emerging poets. Writers by the Light is one way community members can have a taste of the literary achievements being made in the Northwest Arkansas area. Even for those unfamiliar with one or all of the performed disciplines, hearing fellow community members be vulnerable in a joyous space can make us feel closer together. In times when life feels isolating or unpredictable, these pockets of peace and support are crucial.