Sigma Tau Delta leads Queer Lit Read-In
On Sept. 17, the Pi Lambda chapter of English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta invited students to participate in a celebratory read-in for works of queer literature. The event, held in room 267 of Smith Hall, aimed to explore students’ favorite novels, poems, authors and themes relating to the LGBTQ+ experience.
The event gathered at 3:30 p.m., and, in the perennial tradition of late-afternoon student gatherings, was received by a robust attendance. Following alumnus Katelyn Schuler’s opening presentation, which concluded with an excerpt from Julia Armfield’s horror novel “Our Wives Under the Sea,” the floor was opened to members of Pi Lambda and the rest of the audience.
Sigma Tau Delta vice president Lily Shacklee, a senior English language arts education major from Enterprise, Alabama, was the second speaker, reading an excerpt from Madeline Millers’ “The Song of Achilles.”
“Reading, to me, is all about connecting with things that you don’t have experience with,” Shacklee said. “Even if I might not be in that community, I think it’s really important to shed light on the community and give voice to all kinds of authors and artists.”
Shacklee was optimistic about the event’s impact among the attendees.
“I just hope it sparked interest in people, because a lot of people don’t really read for fun,” Shacklee said. “I think it’s really nice when it sparks people’s interest, and they want to check out that poem, that book or that author.”
Emma Arnold, a senior English major from Slocomb, Alabama, serves as president of Sigma Tau Delta. She shared thoughts on the purpose of the event.
“The purpose of these readings, to me, is really to open up people to new perspectives,” Arnold said. “Going to a school in the South, you meet a lot of people who have never been exposed to queer literature or even have an aversion because of whatever their own personal experience may be.”
Arnold followed Shacklee by reading R.K. Fauth’s “Queer Appalachia,” a poem which follows a queer romance in the Gothic South, a narrative that reflected Arnold’s hopes that students achieve not only greater literacy, but empathy.
“The majority of our readings deal with marginalized authors and communities,” Arnold said. “I think by doing that you allow people to see a new perspective that they never would have considered.”
One of the final readers was Cameron Belcher, a junior English major from Birmingham, Alabama, who also serves as Sigma Tau Delta’s public relations and historian officer. Belcher read from Audre Lorde’s “A Litany for Survival” and Adrienne Rich’s “Poem III,” a pair of poems he considered resonant with his own queer identity.
“It makes you feel less alone; it makes you feel seen as the writing calls out,” Belcher said. “Finding something that either grabs your attention or just really speaks to you, that’s what literature is all about deep down.”
Among the student spectators was Taylor Stevens, a sophomore biology major from Eufaula, Alabama, who was grateful to have attended, even though this was her first time attending a Sigma Tau Delta event.
“Most of what I normally read is scientific, so today was mostly just an opportunity to let me just see what was available,” Stevens said.
Stevens also found it especially rewarding to see organizations like Sigma Tau Delta explore this genre of literature.
“It brings it to a wider audience and helps to normalize it – of course, it is a normal thing, but society hasn’t always treated it as such,” Stevens said.
Stevens was joined by her friend Nia Fitzgibbons, a sophomore environmental science major from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, a fellow newcomer who was likewise pleased with the event.
“It’s a part of the human experience that’s not always talked about in our art and literature,” Fitzgibbons said. “Hopefully there’s a lot more people interested in reading and learning about that stuff than maybe they originally thought.”
Sigma Tau Delta will be holding an October Banned Book Read-In to appreciate the impact and legacies of controversial literature. Students who want to get involved in Sigma Tau Delta can visit their Book Nook lounge within Smith Hall or follow their Instagram @troysigmataudelta.
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