Ellington

Freshman Evan Walton was given the Common Book at his orientation in mid-July and still hadn’t opened it by the end of August.

“Poetry is not really my thing,” said Walton of this year’s selection You are Never Where You Are, an original anthology of poems. Walton admits that he’s never read poetry outside of the classroom and finds it intimidating, although he’d consider flipping through the book when he finds the time.

The 45-page anthology was a conscious decision to increase circulation, said Frances McCue, one member of the Common Book Selection Committee. It’s too early to tell if this year’s alternative will attract more readers, but predictably, some students have decided to pass on it.

Previous choices have dealt with issues of historical importance: the coming of age of a president, immigration and global warming.

Alex White, a senior studying environmental engineering, never read his Common Book, Field Notes from a Catastrophe, and knows very few people who did.

“No one reads the Common Book because we don’t have to,” White said. “Plus, no one reads books in general. Most people have better things to do with their time.”

White especially disliked his Common Book because he felt the university was forcing its agenda on students, rather than opening up a dialogue.

“It’s like the university is saying, ‘Here, this is what you should care about; this is what you should find interesting.’ I’ll decide what I think is interesting,” White said.

White felt that the summer before college could be better spent enjoying the company of his friends. Since it was a tradition among his high-school peers to burn their papers, books and school supplies at the end of every academic year, White burned his copy of the Common Book in an act of defiance.

“There’s just going to be a stigma that goes with the university giving you the book,” he said. “You are less inclined to read it when the university is trying to project some type of view onto you by telling you to read it.”

Kirsten Atik, director of communication for the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, disagrees that the Common Book imposes its own values and opinions.

“I can see that perception exists. I’d be kind of blind if I didn’t, but I can also say there is never an intention to say this is how you should think … Our intent is to present a book and a topic for students to engage in dialogue and critical thinking.”

Last year, as the university weathered multi-million dollar budget cuts, the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs had discussions about the worth of the program.

“You want to make sure what you’re doing is rooted in academic experience,” Atik said. “There is always a process of self-examination — which is a good thing.”

In past years, it has cost from $36,000 to $39,000 to provide books for all incoming freshmen. More money was spent on Common Book events, including lectures by authors. But the projected cost of You Are Never Where You Are is significantly less. Since it is an original selection of poems published by the university, the program cost $11,000, just under $7 per freshman.

Most of the poems are only one page, and because there isn’t a narrative or an overriding argument, readers can skip around.

“I think poetry helps you see the world a little bit askew. It helps you question what we think of as mainstream reality,” McCue said.

Once freshmen have read the text, the hope is that it will introduce and connect them to the community while also strengthening engagement with the book’s themes. In past years, the book has been integrated into classes and Freshman Interest Groups with guest speakers and other related events.

“One of the things that’s really positive about poetry is that it doesn’t suggest any one particular dialogue. … Twenty different people can read the same poem and have 20 different ideas about what it’s saying,” Atik said. “Hopefully that becomes a point of engagement.”

Public readings, a film series and open mics are just a few of the ideas that the Selection Committee has planned for this year’s Common Book.

Sophomore Shelby Handler is also involved with the implementation of this year’s book. As one of three student members of the Selection Committee, she is helping to organize a series of poetry slams on campus.

“[Poetry slams do] something that poetry does not do for a lot of people. It’s pretty awesome,” Handler said.

Handler has been writing poetry her whole life and began performing in slams in her hometown of Denver. She also helped co-found the UW slam team, Manic Mouth Congress, which won sixth in The College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational last year.

Most poetry is written for and consumed on the page, but slams are all about performance. They are competitions between poets, with five randomly selected audience members serving as judges. While poetry readings are muted affairs, slams have a reputation for being boisterous. Cheers and boos from the audience are encouraged.

“We are excited about poetry,” Atik said. “We hope students and our community will find something in it.”

Reach reporter Sean Sullivan at lifestyles@dailyuw.com.