On Thursday, just after the majority of students migrated off-campus, when Turner crowds died down and the Burruss bells were heard, a group of writers gathered in Shanks 370/380. It was a modest gathering, large by English departmental standards, and had one goal: create a sense of community between artists at Virginia Tech. Artists, writers, and creators at Virginia Tech—a university dominated by hard science majors—often find themselves disconnected. If you, a poet, find a

Vincent van Gogh's painting, "Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity's Gate)." There’s a stereotype that the people that find their home in the creative realms are subject to suffering, and that stereotype most likely stems from our predecessors and our current creative heroes. Sylvia Plath and Vincent van Gogh both committed suicide after suffering from depression. Stephen King has suffered from depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction. JK Rowling has described her depression as “

Glossolalia kicked off the new school year with an open mic night at She-Sha Café and Hookah Lounge on Thursday, September 22nd from 9-11 pm. Glossolalia officers Forrest Rike and Paul Veracka announced readers as both undergraduate students and graduate students shared their writing. Though Glossy (as the event is affectionately called) is a literary festival held in the spring, various open mic nights are held throughout the year to cultivate the appreciation of student wri

Oculus and the HTC Vive have already released earlier this year and in a few weeks, the PlayStation VR will launch. Years from now, 2016 will be remembered as the year of Virtual Reality. It’s not farfetched to say – so why aren’t we giving it its due importance, today? Why would a cumbersome headset and a screen just millimeters away from my eyes matter in any capacity? Because it’s a new age, a new era. Time has come and gone and we continue to find new ways of expressing o

In the words of Robert Frost: “Retard the sun with gentle mist; / Enchant the land with amethyst.” Photo Credits: Kirsten Corbman There are so many things to love about summer, like the air conditioning that will save you from heat stroke and the daily debate of whether or not to conform to society’s standards and shave the cacti that are your legs. But all good things must come to an end, friends. The Earth tilts on its axis and then the trees start to shrug their shoulders,

Throughout the semester, Silhouette will be covering a number of the readings and workshops given by various writers who will be sharing readings from poems, stories, and give insight into their writing process. While specific spotlights will be written up on the individual writers, the context as to why we care is important. So what is it? What exactly is the importance of hearing some man or woman read a few passages out of their poetry collection and answering some questi

The American Shakespeare Center, usually housed at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia, traveled to Blacksburg to perform “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” on September 15, 2016. The small cast of 10-12 actors played many roles at the iconic theater, The Lyric, to a crowd of students, professors, and community members. “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is one of William Shakespeare’s earliest plays, and the audience remained captivated by the performance. The play began w

We’re plunging into Homecoming week tomorrow. Monday marks the first day of public space campaigning and this year marks the second year since shifting the focus away from traditional theme-based campaigns. Our Homecoming candidates all have passions for service and the Queen and King’s plastic crowns will earn them one thousand dollars each to help sponsor a charity event. This past Friday, I had the chance to sit down to hear from a candidate with heart. Newman Library on a

I’m not alone in my almost superhuman ability to justify procrastination; if it was an Olympic sport, every collegiate in the world would be competitively qualified. Even outside of essays and readings, crunched into the final hour, I have a mentality of “I’ll do it later” for stories I want to tell, art I want to create. It’s a problem that student artists face; whether we’re writers, poets, painters, or photographers. There’s a sense of “laterness” for all our best ideas. M

(or Stop Telling Me You’re... if the above is too fiery/obnoxious/whatever) I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard “Oh, that’s wonderful, I’ve always wanted to...” or “I’m just planning on...” or any variation of these phrases. Stop telling me what you’re going to do. Do it. Don’t make any plans; don’t tell others about your aspirations: just go out there and make it happen. I know better than most what it’s like to be busy and struggle to find time to write. But jus