About Us
Boston College students buzz with excitement as Thursday night rolls around: night falls, heels click, and another “close call” at Garage commences. (Or a long, monotonous night of studying begins in honor of midterms season). Rather than rushing to O’Neill or to call an Uber, consider an alternative start to the weekend: a night full of poetry, prose, and pastries at “Fuel Your Fire.”
Fuel Your Fire, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the popular off-campus café Fuel America, is a reading event hosted by and for BC students. The epic event is the result of the collaborative efforts of five on-campus organizations: The Laughing Medusa, Stylus, Other Americas, BC Slam!, and The Medical Humanities Journal of Boston College.
These creative student groups have worked tirelessly to prepare for the reading event, and each will certainly contribute a unique perspective to the showcase. The all-female staff of The Laughing Medusa engages in free and artistic expression while writers for Other Americas dissect Latin American news, culture, and social justice. Contributors to the Medical Humanities Journal use multiple mediums to represent the ideas of health and wellness. Stylus is one of the oldest literary magazines in the country, whereas BC Slam! is a newer spoken-word group.
Regardless of their organization’s angle, members of each organization will step outside their comfort zone during the reading event. Reading an article from their publication or speaking a piece created on the spot, any contribution to the event will doubtless involve a certain vulnerability with the audience.
Sarah Ramsey, CSOM ‘18, intends to share her passion for creative writing with the BC community at Fuel Your Fire. From her first book of poetry in elementary school to her work as general editor for the Medical Humanities Journal, Ramsey’s talents have developed considerably throughout the years. What remains constant for Ramsey, and presumably for other artists as well, is the feeling of self-understanding and interpersonal connectivity that creative expression allows.
“I think my favorite parts about my poems are their transparency and how they come from my heart,” Ramsey reflected on sharing her work. “I write about happy moments, but am not afraid to tell you about my deepest insecurities and fears either.”
This self-disclosure has allowed art and writing to serve as an outlet for the human experience for generations. Given the hyper-involved, overwhelmingly competitive, “type A” nature of BC, it can be easy to let our inner creativity fall to the back burner. When we lose this part of ourselves, however, we risk losing the ability to be vulnerable on a deeper, subconscious level.
Claire Kramer, LSOE ‘18, took this choice into careful consideration as she searched for an opportunity to continue writing and editing poetry at the start of her BC career. As a council member for The Laughing Medusa, Kramer values the community of listeners she has found in the close-knit group of women.
“I try to be in tune with what I feel on a day to day basis, and if I let the words come to me, they do,” Kramer shares of her creative process. “I like to have poetry published about something real that happened to me, and know that maybe some of my friends or classmates can read it and connect with me a little more.”
Seize the rare opportunity to connect and hear from the deeper voices of BC students. Venture off-campus this Thursday night, and embark on a night filled with poetry, art, and maybe even a few cookies.
Fuel Your Fire will take place on February 25 at 7 p.m. at Fuel America located at 152 Chestnut Hill Avenue.
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