The room was filled with dream interpretations, witty sandwich prose and comedic car rides Tuesday night, all compliments of the creative minds of UC Davis students.
The occasion was part of “Expression Redefined,” a quarterly event hosted by student literary and arts publication, Nameless Magazine. Nameless put on the event to give UC Davis students another outlet to share their creativity to the campus community.
Sophomore design and English double major Geoffrey Mak, a board member and chairperson of the events committee, emphasized Nameless’s desire to attract all types of student talent to the annual event.
“In terms of audience, the more diverse the performers are, the more diverse the audience is going to be,” said Mak, who also performed a cello piece Tuesday evening. “We’re trying to get a community involved, not one specific one.“
Senior English major Brian Ang delivered his unique poem about a dream he had about Ezra Pound for the crowd Tuesday night in Griffin Lounge at the Memorial Union.
“I like sharing things with people,” said Ang, an award-winning poet and incoming MFA student this fall in UC Davis‘ creative writing graduate program. “I can connect with people.“
The event showcased a variety of student performances, ranging from music and comedy to prose and poetry. A trio of students from Sick Spits, the UC Davis spoken word group, and representatives of the student comedy troupe Birdstrike were also part of the show.
Senior English major Jessica Irish said she came to the reading to mingle with fellow creative writers and listen to their ideas.
“I’m a creative writer, and I wanted to hear what other people are creating,” Irish said.
Beside the reading, “Expression Redefined” also displayed student-made art pieces. Of the visual art on display, photography, painting and other forms of fine art were abundant, which Mak said was important for Nameless to welcome.
“Fine artists don’t have very many opportunities to showcase their work,“ he said. “[We strive] to provide as an outlet for that.“
Nameless Magazine held the lengthy event, which also included opportunity for open mic performances, in anticipation of the upcoming release of their annual issue. With a pending release date before the end of this quarter, the issue will survey submitted works and the fall and winter winners and will be available online at namelessmagazine.com.
JACKSON YAN and NICOLE L. BROWNER can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com. XXX
