Every November, the APSU Department of Languages and Literature hosts Bread and Words, an event to raise money for the APSU campus food bank.

The event consists of dinner, pots of soup and bread provided by faculty, and a reading of student and faculty work. Barry Kitterman, Hannah Boyd, Tim Donahoo, Caleb Ervin, Arizona Hurn and Allison Parker read.

This year, the 23rd Annual Bread and Words was held on Monday, Nov. 20 in the MUC Ballroom. Crockpots of homemade soups and chili sat steaming on a long table.

Attendants are asked for a $5 donation at the door.

Neesa Howard, a sophomore Chemistry major, went to the event for the second time to support her friend.

“My friend is reading a poem,” Howard said.

Howard describes Bread and Words as a “peaceful” event.

It was the first time Alicia Banman, senior Sociology major, had ever come to a Bread and Words event.

“I have Dr. Wright and Dr. Spofford’s classes, and they told me to come here,” Banman said. “It seems nice, I felt kind of awkward at first but it is not as awkward as I thought it would be. It feels really comfortable.”

It was a full event, as several more tables had to be set up as more people filed in. It was not long before ladles scraped the bottoms of empty pots and the readings began.

Allison Parker was first to read, choosing a short nonfiction piece. Senior Tim Donahue was next, reading several poems including “In the Morning” and “St. Martins.” Arizona Hurd also read a selection of poetry, including “In Which My Skeletons May Not Actually be in the Closet Anymore” and “Oceans.”

English major Caleb Burns read a poem about being a soldier, and graduate student Hannah Boyd read sections of a short fiction story about a girl growing up. Barry Kitterman, professor of creative writing, finished out the readings with a fiction piece inspired by his childhood in California.

For more information on the Language and Literature Department visit, http://www.apsu.edu/langlit/