THE FOLLOWING IS A DANVILLE AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE RELEASE
DANVILLE–An end-of-semester tradition returned to Danville Area Community College Thursday, December 8, when the Liberal Arts Division hosted Open Mic Night in Jacobs Hall.
According to Professor Marla Jarmer, “The purpose was to celebrate the talent and creativity of our amazing students.”
Professor Jarmer explains the origins of Open Mic at DACC, “A few years ago I did an exercise with my Rhetoric and Composition students where, over the course of a couple of weeks, they did some peer review and public rhetoric assignments that let them see how other people can be affected by their writing. I saw…how potent it was for students who hadn’t ever seen that their writing had power and value come to the realization that it could. And, so the Open Mic Night came about as a way…we might offer more opportunities that not only helped students grow and learn but also celebrated that growth.”
Open Mic became part of the final grade for students in Prof. Jarmer’s creative writing sequence classes, but is also open to other DACC students and the larger community. Additionally, many of the pieces featured will be published in the Liberal Arts Division’s literary magazine, Waiting for Rain.
While the event took a two-year hiatus during COVID, plans are to return to a bi-annual schedule, with the next event in May, 2023.
Participants this year included a tutor from the Writing Center, a dual credit student from Westville High School who is on track to graduate both high school and DACC in May, 2023, and a student from another writing class who wished to share his creativity.
