The Celebration of Creativity was a whirlwind of awards, honors, and launches on Sunday, April 7th. Hosted by the Humanities, Political Science and Global Studies Department, this annual event highlights and honors students’ achievements in English and the creative arts, and this year recognized one extremely influential person in the department on her retirement, Dr. LuAnn Fletcher.
The celebration began with opening remarks from Dr. Carol Pulham and the induction of ten new members into the Xi Kappa chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honor Society. Each student was asked to read a piece of literature that represented their passion for English. This included Taylor Hudson, ’24, who read a quote from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a novel she said had shaped her love for English literature.
The literary club, Preterite, released their annual journal Onyx and honored the winners after the induction. Onyx is a culmination of undergraduate winning works in the categories of black and white photography, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Each winner was awarded and offered to read a piece of their work. Free copies of Onyx can be found in The Narrows for those interested in reading this year’s edition.
Pitch, the campus’ electronic arts and literature journal, also launched their 14th edition during the celebration. The electronic format allows for various artistic and literary styles from fine art and photography to poetry and fiction, and this year’s editors added a few new categories. “Wabi Sabi,” sophomore editor Hannah Medina ‘26 explained, “is a Japanese concept that embraces the imperfect and incomplete, and that’s exactly what this category is for, embracing the imperfections in our work.”
The evening closed with a recognition of Dr. LuAnn Fletcher on her retirement. “You have made a lasting impact on all of your students,” Madelynn Miller ‘24, said during her moving speech, “and you’ve especially made a lasting impact on me.” Dr. Fletcher has been at Cedar Crest for over 30 years and will be missed by both colleagues and students alike.