Drexel University is gearing up for the fourth annual Drexel Writing Festival after last year’s was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Things will be a little different this year, with all the events being held on Zoom, although this has not lessened the excitement of anyone involved. If anything, faculty, speakers, and students are more excited than ever, with the hope that the online event will be more accessible to students, professors, and the general public alike. The Drexel Writing Festival will be held from May 17th through May 21st, with an array of exciting activities to look forward to. Participants can register for events through the links provided on the Drexel Writing Festival website. Participants can attend events related to the festival’s theme of “Deception,” including discussion with Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Lisa Gartner, a Culinary Writing Workshop with Jonathan Deustch, and Fred Siegel’s performance of his one-man magic/memoir show. I spoke with Drexel professor and event director Henry Israeli about the Drexel Writing Festival.
Ciara Richards: How long have you been involved with the Writing Festival?
Henry Israeli: This will be the fourth year, although we didn’t have one last year, so it has been five years. Since 2016.
CR: How has COVID-19 impacted the organization of the festival this year?
HI: We had to cancel last year’s event, so this year we carried over the same program from last year to this year. We had to do the event over Zoom, but other than that it has not really been that different. I’m actually excited by the prospect of the Zoom festival because I think it makes it easier for students and other people to attend. I think we will have a lot of people who probably have wanted to attend in past years but couldn’t make it. Now they will just have to log onto their computers. I think that is a positive and I expect to have more attendees this year than usual.
CR: What efforts have been made to ensure the festival goes smoothly over Zoom?
HI: People have to pre-register for the event. The festival is open to anybody, it is not just for Drexel students. We have spread out the events over the week so that nobody has to miss any events. It really is a big experiment for us as we have never done this before. I can tell you what I’ve learned after the event as that may be more interesting!
CR: How would the event usually be run when it is not online?
HI: For the first two years the festival was at the Perelman Art Gallery on campus, which is a beautiful space. The third year we held it at the Perelman Jewish Center. This will be our fourth year. In previous years the event was typically held Tuesday to Thursday with back-to-back events so that people were able to stay for a cluster of events. We also had the advantage of being able to offer snacks and beverages, which is obviously more difficult when the event is online! The event has always been open to everyone, and we love having our neighboring communities involved.
CR: Which events are usually most popular?
HI: It really depends on the events. Some are very popular, we have had over 100 people for certain events. Some have not been so popular. It really depends on schedules and participants. It is not predictable which events will be the most popular.
CR: How do you decide on the events for the Festival?
HI: We first get together as the faculty members and students to brainstorm and decide on a theme. Then I will invite all different disciplines, to ensure that we can include all types of writers and writing. We have had culinary writing, for example. We try to reach beyond just the College of Arts and Sciences as we believe writing extends beyond just creative and literary writing.
CR: Which event are you most excited for?
HI: I can’t choose just one event! I am always excited, however, for our visiting writers. Some of the presenters are faculty, so it is always exciting to have visiting artists. We have a National Book Award finalist this year, for example. These events always seem to pique our students’ interests.
CR: Is there anything else we should know about the Writing Festival?
HI: I would just love students and our local community members to attend and I would love to hear back from participants at the event. We are always looking to improve. I think that everyone will be pleasantly surprised and really enjoy some of the workshops and events that we have to offer, as they can be very entertaining.
The Drexel Writing Festival will be held virtually from May 17th to May 21st, with events usually starting around noon. Participants can register for all events via Zoom, through the Drexel Writing Festival website. Be sure to take a look at the schedule and don’t miss out on the wide range of workshops being offered this year—all from the comfort of your own home!
Ciara Richards is a sophomore at Drexel University studying Political Science with a minor in English. She plays on the Drexel Squash Team and is from Wales in the United Kingdom. Ciara likes to spend time with her friends, keep active, and do some reading. She also writes for the sports section of Drexel’s student newspaper, The Triangle, and was published in The 33rd.