On a chilly gray evening, Oct. 23, the Beloit College English Department’s annual Ode to Autumn filled the campus’s Poetry Garden. Leaves fell over the crowd, who huddled together with hot apple cider and cups of caramel-coated popcorn. A dozen different artists and speakers — ranging from first years doing their very first reading to regularly contributing professors — took the stands to showcase their brilliant creative work, all of which paid tribute to the spirit of the season.
Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, the Ode boasted amenities, including a fire pit, refreshments, and even a pumpkin available to win (although the pumpkin’s use remains unclear) to keep the crowd healthy up until the very end.
Chris Fink, English department chair and the driving force behind the Ode to Autumn, seemed pleased with the significant turnout, remarking in good humor, following his delivery of “The Mulberry, Undressed,” “You can’t pitch a cat at the Ode to Autumn without hitting an English professor.”
When asked how he felt the event had gone this year, he replied: “It was a terrific reading — students were entertaining … and that’s the point! It’s always fun to hear our talented students read their work outside of class. But inside class is nice, too.”
It seems he was not the only one to share the sentiment. Many attendees were captivated not just by the works being read, but by the chance to meet up with other creatives. People were laughing and having fun and sharing stories, even when there was no more poetry left to read. Many people noted Ode to Autumn’s unique ability to foster a community of creative people outside of the classroom as something that has made Ode to Autumn a recurring favorite. Even a few strangers, passers-by on the sidewalk, stopped in to listen for a while.
When asked about why he keeps up the Ode as an yearly fixture, Fink replied, “You go to an old school for traditions, old and new. We have a terrific creative writing program, and if we don’t celebrate that in public, we’re doing it wrong.”
But despite the event’s overwhelming success, especially in bringing new voices to the forefront, Fink still expressed his dream of seeing the Ode to Autumn grow even larger as a regular, low-stress platform for celebration of poetic work at all levels of craft, not just professional. “I think the Ode will grow to epic, gourd-sized proportions,” he emphasised.
After all the snacks had disappeared and the cider was finished, Fink had a message for the people who might be afraid of showing off their work, both in this event and the years to come: “If you’re a student who’s nervous about reading your work in public, you’re the one I want to hear.”
Featured Image: Theo Bjornstad’27
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