The sound of shuffling through the doors of the bookstore echoed as audience members searched for more chairs to squeeze into amidst the small room. They were desperate to watch talented writers share a piece of their soul.
The audience took their seats as Jefferson Beavers, co-organizer of Fresno Writers Live, greeted and welcomed everyone, expressing his excitement for the night.
On March 1, five Fresno State students performed enthralling poetry and short stories for a crowd of around 40 people at Hart’s Haven Used Bookstore for Fresno Writers Live to kick off the first night of Rogue Fest.
Fresno Writers Live has been an opportunity for Fresno State English majors to showcase their talent for the last 20 years.
The bookstore was lined up with people out the door, excited to hear the students’ work. People sat shoulder to shoulder and a few audience members stood for the duration of the show.
The show consisted of five passionate writers: Chloe Abella, Valentino Di Pietro Hernandez, Eduardo Espinoza-Gonzalez, Amelia Holguin and Michael Steiner, who read up to nine literary pieces.
The show had carefully curated personal pieces that were read aloud. The pieces explored themes such as existentialism, identity, playing with humor and involving biology and nature.
“I don’t like being in a box,” Di Pietro Hernandez said. “I have this magical kind of poetry and then I also got the more intimate poetry and then I got the absurdist poetry, it’s all kind of weird.”
Each performer was introduced by Beavers who shared a bit about what the students like to write about, their aspirations and their personalities.
“Their work is extraordinary and they’re all very different,” Beavers said. “I love to give them a platform to share their work.”
After each performer, the crowd erupted in cheers, claps and laughter.
“They came all the way out here, I gotta give them something,” Hernandez said about the crowd. “Gotta make them laugh. Gotta make them cry. Gotta make them think.”
Each piece was exclusively theirs, relating their storytelling to family members, memorable places and personal experiences.
“It definitely is nerve-wracking, and there’s a certain relieving and certain strength in putting it out there for people to see,” Hernandez said.
Fresno Writers Live will return at Hart’s Haven Used Bookstore on March 7 from 7-8 p.m., and March 9 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the front desk before the show. A schedule for all other Rogue Fest performances and venues can be found online.
