Jasmine Wilborne – Special to Southern News –
Surprised laughter erupted from the mouths of those who gathered at Folio’s monthly Friday night reading, as Brendan Walsh, MFA student read from his poem titled: “I Want to Live my Life in an Orgasm”.
He said a female friend who voiced this desire inspired the poem.

It was quirky pieces read during the open mic and the great turnout from the student body that made the first Folio reading of the semester exceptional, Joe McCarthy the host and editor of Folio said.
“People think Folio readings are a waste of a Friday,” McCarthy said. “ But creative writing makes for a fun Friday night.”
The fireplace lounge was filled with students and spotted with faculty members like Folio’s Advisor Jeff Mock and former advisor Tim Parrish. Attendees enjoyed a colorful spread of unsalted almonds, kettle cooked potato chips, yellow-skinned bananas and hot Dunkin Donut’s coffee.
The night was divided in two segments: the first was readings from the guest fiction reader Joe Grillo a junior English major and Luke Hunter a senior English major, the second being an open mic.
Grillo, the guest fiction writer, opened the night with his story titled “Inanimate,” a comic tale about Will, a recent college-dropout’s, relationship with Marcy, a bridge.
Grillo said it was his first reading, that “Inanimate” was the only finished piece he felt confident reading, and that he was invited to read by McCarthy this past summer.
“I don’t always think my work is good enough [for publication],” he said referring to submitting to Folio. “When someone tells me that what I’ve written is good, I get a little narcissistic.”
After Grillo read, Hunter, the new fiction editor, read a few pieces, one titled “Art Stops Time”.
Reclining on the squishy sunburnt orange body of the lounge chair, he gave his aspirations for writing.
“The aesthetic goal of writing is to reach outward,” he said. “ But writing is something I do for myself. I think writing is about trying to figure out your own problems.”
There have been rumors circulating, said a source, who has chosen to remain anonymous, that Folio dismisses more urban-styled poetry in favor for more traditional poetry.
Hunter was quick to refute this idea and said, “Genre’s like slam-poetry are pretty new and people tend to be afraid of the rebellious stuff, but we accept all work that is polished and clear.”
The raffle came and went, and the open mic began where one student, Ryan Maher said, “ I wrote [these poems] when I should have been doing homework.”
After the reading, McCarthy said, that the first Folio reading is a litmus test for the semester. He said the night was a testament to good publication and the club fair. He said he is looking forward to compiling the submissions that will consist of this year’s Folio.
“One misconception students have about submitting to Folio is that it is an extra amount of work-when it’s not,” he said. The submission form is available online at Folio’s club webpage. All submissions have to be submitted the week before finals in December.
Jeff Mock, advisor to Folio stressed that the reading is a place to hear good writers and to improve on a student’s own writing.
Hunter said before parting, “If I had one thing to say to the student body it’s: Submit to Folio.”
nice coverage