Talent isn’t hard to find here at Skyline College. That belief was made more apparent at the Talisman Reading in the Gallery Theater on Oct. 27. Surrounded by paintings from the Landscape Derivations exhibit, poets, writers, artists, and performers were given the opportunity to display their work in front of friends, family and faculty.An extension of the Talisman Magazine (approaching it’s fortieth anniversary), the readings have been a welcome addition to the publication, giving award-winning writers and anyone else interested the chance to represent their work.”We’ve had the opportunity to have the Talisman reading for fifteen years,” said Katharine Harer, English and Creative Writing Instructor, as well as the main coordinator of the Honors Program. “It’s a very supportive event because all the students are in a positive atmosphere.”Nearly every student published by the Talisman has taken Professor Harer’s creative writing class. Many of them believe it to be an important means for channeling creative energy.”I think it’s a great outlet for expressive students,” said Charity Walden, Child Development major and 2nd prize winner for the 28th Annual Victoria Alvarado Memorial Short Story Award. “The Talisman celebrates that we have creative people at Skyline.” Harer’s creative writing class has helped produce and refine material from budding writers and poets. The laid-back nature of the course encourages students to bring in their writings and share them with the class.”In the creative writing classes, you learn the craft of writing a poem and short stories,” said Harer. “You aren’t graded on assignments, but turning material in. It’s a very interactive class.”The creative diversity behind the Talisman has shown that engaging and moving material can come from anyone, regardless of their writing level.”There’s always a range of variety in the different works,” said Professor Harer. “Some poems may not be sophisticated, but they still make a big impression on people.”The different material published and performed showed how diverse the backgrounds of the writers are and the ideas they want to express. Some pieces were humorous, like Jamie Ball’s Hot Topic Goddess, Part I. “Every time I perform it feels like you’re doing it for the first time,” said Jamie Ball, a Fine Arts major. “I have epiphanies about how silly and personal my writings are.”Other pieces were abstract to many listeners, though they were personal to author, such as Steve Perotti’s Masochistic Decadence and Domesticated.”Writing is easy, but performing can be difficult,” said Steve Perotti, English Major and former Talisman editor. “The more emotional connection I have with the piece, the harder it is to get through. But if it’s a fun piece, than it’s easy.”During the reading, several of the readers presented brand new material. Considering that the next issue of the Talisman will be published next semester, many of the writers use this opportunity to try out their new work on the audience.”Some people use this reading as a testing ground for their new material,” said Harer. “Some re-read old writings, but they try to present their new material as well.”Surprisingly, not all presenters were published in the Talisman. One student in particular performed two of his unpublished works through spoken word poetry.”I love to inspire, and the reason I write is for myself,” said Dante Casuga, author of Balloon Girl and Identity Crisis. “Spoken word poetry is an art form.” The poems and short stories presented during the reading covered many different topics, ranging from love, relationships, family life, and growing up. To me, the overarching theme of the Talisman reading was that everything presented was relatable for many people in some way or another.”We want to reflect the campus community-coming from people of all ages, and experiences,” said Harer.

If you’re interested in learning the craft of poetry and short story writing, you can register for Katharine Harer’s creative writing and contemporary literature classes for the spring 2010 semester.