By Nicole Entin

The creative arts community at the University of St Andrews triumphed over the adversity of technical difficulties and social distancing guidelines as societies organized a myriad of events for the long-awaited (though online) Freshers Week; allowing writers, actors, and artists to come together via Microsoft Teams and get inspired

Inklight’s series of creative events and workshops brought together the university’s aspiring writers to exercise their talents in playwriting and poetry. In a Give-It-A-Go workshop, held in cooperation with Mermaids, Nandakumar Saravanan led a group of students in a discussion about how to become a part of St Andrews’ renowned theatre scene. Under Nandakumar’s guidance, we exercised our creative muscles in a series of short brainstorming sessions on themes, plot, setting, and characters– my particular favourite involved a criminal on the run hiding from the authorities in a pastry shop.

In a poetry circle held the next day, PhD student Anushrut Ramakrishnan Agrawaal introduced a group of poets to the writing of Ivor Cutler, whose whimsical poems and “Cutlerisms” were the focus of the workshop. Anushrut instructed the attendees to take inspiration from interesting people, words, or seemingly mundane yet curious objects around them, with poems being written about everything from push pins to a tube of Earl Grey-flavoured lip balm.

I spoke to Inklight president Hana Schloz about the process of hosting online events for Freshers Week, and she noted the importance of balancing safety and fun in the workshops and socials that her society hosted.

“I think that during these times, the most important factors to consider are the safety and inclusion of all parties involved, but of course we also want to ensure engagement and fun! Because at the end of the day, we're all students here and Inklight's main goal is to create a space where people can get together and share their work in a fun and accepting environment. It's always going to be more difficult putting yourself and your writing out there and getting to know others online, at least in my experience, so I look forward to a time where we can all meet in person again!”

Hana also remarked upon the importance of continuing to come together over creative pursuits, especially in times when we are feeling distant and isolated. As Inklight continues to host online events over the semester, their goals are “to keep people safe, to provide a sense of community, and to encourage everyone to write more. It really is the best time for it.”

Meanwhile, the School of English was hard at work creating events for the student community. A talk hosted by Dr. Emma Jones gave the opportunity for students interested in taking creative writing in their honours years to meet, learn about the modules, and even share some pieces of their own writing. One first year student shared a short dystopian story in which technology, rather than nature, was lost to the ages, with a Proustian nostalgia that resonated throughout the prose. Another student treated the crowd to a limerick fitting for the times, about the gruesome aspects of illness melded with jaunty rhymes.

Later that week, Dr. Harriet Archer hosted students and faculty members alike in an abridged reading of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost. Noting relevant themes such as commencing university studies and even wearing masks. Even the virtual format of Teams could not stifle the brilliance of Shakespeare’s writing and the talent of the assembled actors – a particular accolade to the actress playing Berowne, as she navigated connection issues while reciting a page-long monologue. In both these events, the atmosphere of togetherness and creative spirit shone through, a testament to the way in which writing can transcend even the void of the internet.

Though event hosts may be faced with a wall of silent participant screens, and glitching WiFi networks may throw a wrench in the works, the St Andrews community proved that creativity endures in even the most difficult of circumstances. So, while we may not be able to meet with our friends as much as we would like to, we should make the most of these moments when we are alone, in addition to reaching out to our fellow creatives however we can. In this spirit, ST.ART will continue to explore how the arts have adapted to this strange time, a period of isolation, solitude, and self-reflection.

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