English Tea will have its first meeting of the spring semester on Jan. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the CLC Search Studio.
The English Department hosts English Tea events throughout both the fall and spring semesters. The event allows students to decompress from the stress of classes and gather in a casual environment with their peers, professors and alumni.
“One thing that we’ve noticed is a lot of alumni are coming back,” said Dr. Erin Penner. “They kind of got in their English rhythms, and if they happen to be in the region, they’ll just learn about it and stop in, so it’s been really run because it’s kind of breaking up that teacher and student divide.”
While the event is open to both English and creative writing students, and has all of the English professors in attendance, the event is open to every student on campus, regardless of their major.
“What I normally think about in the spring is people settling into the identity of an English major or they’re feeling comfortable if they’ve had a class or two, and they’re like, okay, now I’m ready to add something that’s not necessarily my major, or something that I’m just sort of vaguely interested in,” said Penner.
Aside from intense discussions about books, or casual conversation about classes, tea and various snacks will be provided.
“What I like is that it becomes a home that people define and that changes the space entirely,” said Penner. “Whether it’s alumni needing a connection or offering a kind of community to their younger classmates, or people who are no longer desperately seeking a home, but actually also bringing enough of a self and presence to remake the space that they walk into.”
If students cannot attend this month, there will be two other meetings held on Feb. 23 and Mar. 30. The times and locations will stay the same.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
