Author Su Hwang came on Feb. 7 and spoke to juniors and seniors in writing classes who are currently studying her book. Hwang’s most recent and popular book, Bodega, tells stories of her personal immigration and her life story. 

The session started off with Hwang reading one of her favorite poems out loud, an “Immigrant’s Elegy.” Every audience member followed along in their book staying engaged. Next, she opened the floor to discussion, where all students were encouraged to ask questions. Some questions included what her thought process behind writing personal stories was, and some of her inspirations while writing. The time was filled with interesting dialect that kept all of the students engaged. Hwang kept students engaged by making light jokes and staying interactive with everyone.

Students felt grateful that they got to have this conversation. Junior Allison Audette said, “I thought it was a great experience because you really do not get to do this every day.” 

Senior Brennan Keogh said, “I thought that her explanation of the thought process behind writing a poem was very insightful.” Keogh went on and said, “I hope we do these sort of events more often.” 

Hwang encouraged all of the students to write outside of a classroom setting without the stress because that is where one truly discovers how they write. When asked what the main message was, Audette believed a key message from the session was, “If you do not want to become a writer you can still enjoy literature and write for the fun of it,” Keogh said. “Sometimes writing seems forced but she said that you just have to write naturally and to believe in what you are writing.” 

The event was open to the entire student body.