{"id":6678,"date":"2017-12-20T14:10:29","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T19:10:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?p=6678"},"modified":"2018-01-03T17:01:28","modified_gmt":"2018-01-03T22:01:28","slug":"the-common-reading-program-brings-author-to-campus-essay-contest-winners-read-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2017\/12\/20\/the-common-reading-program-brings-author-to-campus-essay-contest-winners-read-work\/","title":{"rendered":"The Common Reading Program Brings Author to Campus; Essay Contest Winners Read Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author Jeff Goins strolled through The Theresa and Edward O\u2019Toole Library. He read through the bios and excerpts from students\u2019 personal essays; taking as much of an interest in them as they recently took in him. The essays were all personal narratives inspired by his book, The Art of Work<\/em>, which was the Common Reading Program choice for this year\u2019s incoming freshmen.<\/p>\n

Goins was on campus to deliver the keynote speech as part of the Common Reading Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Common Reading Program is an intellectual experience designed to bring the freshmen class together through shared readings and discussions centered around a common theme,\u201d said Constance Wagner, writing program director.<\/p>\n

The Art of Work <\/em>was chosen as the Common Reading Program because the book encourages readers to seek and act upon passions that give their lives meaning, a topic appropriate for college-age readership. During his keynote presentation, Goins highlighted tips from his book, including \u201cWho you are is practice for who you are going to be.\u201d He shared with the students his three \u201csecrets\u201d for living a purposeful life:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t plan your purpose, you can\u2019t control your outcome and you can\u2019t wait for clarity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As part of the program, students had been encouraged by professors in the English department to write personal essays based on the book and submit them to the Common Reading Program essay contest. Winning essays and author bios were on display in the library and students read from their pieces at a recent symposium.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the main joys of judging\u00a0the essay contest is finding\u00a0student\u00a0work that draws on so\u00a0many\u00a0different approaches to the same material found in a common text. This year’s pieces featured work that ranged from literary non-fiction to straightforward\u00a0biography\u00a0to personal\u00a0reflection. All very intriguing!\u201d said Wagner.<\/p>\n

The winners of the special distinction award were Ripunjay Singh \u201921, Alejandro Gomez \u201921, Jili Zhu \u201921, Brian Bates \u201921 and Esther Kolade \u201921. Honorable mentions included Dakota Stein \u201921, David Rampersad \u201921, Chantel Elliott \u201921, Mark Mineses \u201921 and Anna Maguire \u201921.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ongoing purpose for the essay contest, indeed for the Common\u00a0Reading\u00a0Program itself, is to provide freshmen with a\u00a0shared\u00a0platform for intellectual exploration that\u00a0centers\u00a0around the written word. This year’s book\u2014The Art of Work\u2014<\/em>has certainly kept\u00a0students\u00a0artfully\u00a0engaged in the writing process AND in the\u00a0process\u00a0of discovering themselves,\u201d said Wagner.<\/p>\n\n\t\t