Last week, Austin Peay State University brought students, faculty, families and supporters together for the 31st annual Bread and Words reading. This year’s event, hosted by Raymond Deeren, an assistant professor in the Department of Languages & Literature and co-coordinator of the Creative Writing program, celebrated a time-honored tradition with a stage for both established and new voices.
Founded three decades ago by Barry Kitterman, the event has evolved into a full departmental collaboration, allowing for an intimate and inviting atmosphere in which students can share the pieces they’ve created over the semester. This year, Bread and Words was led by a committee chaired by Emery Taylor.
Bread and Words also supports the APSU SOS Food Pantry, raising $407 this year and more than $2,000 over the past four years.
“Especially nowadays with the price of food skyrocketing, every bit helps,” Deeren said.
Included among the readers this year were students who were experiencing their very first public reading. Theo Ballard, a junior in the Professional Communications program, noted this was the first time he had ever shared his work aloud.
Ballard read a number of his pieces, which included “Letters to My Father,” a poem he had never shared publicly before. He also read “I Know What It’s Like to Be a Woman,” which came to him in one sitting.
“Words have this incredible power,” said Ballard. “Being queer, biracial, and having gone through things others might be too scared to speak about, I want to write in a way that reaches someone, inspires them, or gives them comfort.”
Another voice on stage for the first time was Zi’Andria Corley. This event was her first-ever live reading, but she is already a published poet, having appeared in Roanoke Review, with two poems forthcoming in Red Mud Review and one upcoming in Revolute in Spring 2026.
Asked what motivates her to write, Corley didn’t hesitate:
“Honestly, other writers. There’s a lot of intersectionality in my work. I read very widely, encompassing both fiction and nonfiction. I’m very inspired by Black women writers specifically: Toni Morrison, Bell Hooks, Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton,” said Corley.
For those daunted by either reading or writing, Corley had some simple yet handy advice.
“Think about what you’re interested in, then find people who write about those things. I was particularly interested in Black women, so I started reading Bell Hooks. Anyone can start that way,” Corley said.
A former creative writing student himself, Deeren emphasized the importance of providing opportunities for students to share their work and the difference a first reading can make.
“For many of them, this is their first-ever reading, and with sixty people in the audience, that’s a big deal,” Deeren said.
Deeren also dispelled common misconceptions about English and writing, asserting that college courses center much more on critical thinking and creative thinking than grammar rules.
“I’m not fishing for the right answer. I’m watching how students put ideas together,” Deeren said.
His advice to developing writers: read widely, and write without allowing your inner critic to interrupt.
“Set a timer for twenty minutes and keep writing. Don’t stop. Once you pause, the inner critic takes over. Just keep going,” Deeren said.
