Let’s Just Admit It: College Students Only Respond to Free Food

Recently, it was reported that many bookstores are considering charging for readings. I’m not sure how I feel about this—I can definitely see where independent bookstores are coming from if they choose to do so, but it also worries me that it would discourage people from going to readings.

Either way, the article made me reflect on the handful of readings I’ve been to, which, with the exception of Justin Cronin at the Literary Loft in Minneapolis, have all been at school.

No matter where the reading is or who is actually at the podium reading, I think it is safe to say that there is never a high attendance. I felt mortified at an Aimee Bender reading spring, when the audience consisted of only English and writing faculty and ten or fifteen students. (Not only was it Aimee Bender, but Jonathan Lethem was the introducer, too!) Even though it was obviously no fault of mine, I felt guilty, since I was a representative of this Claremont Colleges community. Did she feel bad? Did the professor who brought her to campus feel bad?

What bothers me most is that college is the best time to go to readings. Why? First of all, they’re pretty much guaranteed to stay free for students, unless the writer is SUPER famous like J.K. Rowling or you attend a for-profit college—you can’t put anything past those guys.

Second, at my college, the most you’d ever have to travel to go to a reading is about a fifteen minute walk. Aimee Bender was two minutes away from my dorm. Once you’re in the real world, you’ll have to drive or use public transportation which costs money and takes much longer than two minutes.

Not only that, but if you have a book, you can get it signed by the writer! Maybe it’s just me, but nothing is quite as exciting as having personalized, signed books. (Okay, maybe it’s just me.)

Finally… and this is the key for college students… at least at my college, there is free food. Fact. And usually freaking awesome free food, like cookies and egg rolls and mango-and-brie quesadillas. (Not even kidding on that last one.)

So… what’s keeping students away? It drives me crazy knowing there is this amazing, free opportunity and students are skipping out for no reason except sheer laziness. I realize that not everyone likes reading or listening to people read especially when it’s a Thursday night. But many students I do know who appreciate good literature still don’t go to these events.

. . .

Here is my list of ways to may possibly attract college students to author readings. (Coming from a college student who is often lazy and doesn’t go to speakers of other academic departments herself.)

1. COOL POSTERS. No one is going to look at the poster in black and white with a small photo of a person on it and lots of text. Make it pretty, with abstract art, and not too much text. Also, place advertisements on the cafeteria tables if possible. People will actually read it then. Flyers on bulletin boards just get glanced at and then forgotten. Or else they get stolen by a really passionate student and then no one else gets to see the flyer.

2. FACEBOOK EVENT. Basically, no one on my campus knows when this stuff is going on because it’s poorly advertised. Facebook event, flyers on cafeteria tables—if anything’s certain, it’s that college students will eventually end up on Facebook and in the cafeteria.

3. CLEARLY ADVERTISE THE FREE FOOD.

4. DON’T HAVE THE EVENT ON A THURSDAY OR A FRIDAY.

5. REQUIRE STUDENTS TO GO. I had a professor who once required his classes to go to this one reading on campus, and in exchange we didn’t have a class. We all showed up. It was great. I got to hear from a poet I wouldn’t have known otherwise. English professors, writing professors—this is where the love for this subject will be created, not in the classroom. At the very least, profusely advertise the event to your students.

6. HAVE A DISCOUNT ON BOOKS BOUGHT AT READING. I realize the bookstore needs to make money. Though you’d think they would make plenty of money after each student pays them hundreds of dollars per semester for textbooks, but anyway. “Free” is the best incentive for college students, but “cheap” is not so bad either.

7. DESCRIBE THE BOOK. The average college student could care less that this author was published in The Paris Review and that they won the National Book Critics Circle Award. If they’re not a writing or English nerd, they most likely won’t even know what those are. However, if you state clearly that the author will be reading from their super badass novel about time traveling (for example), people might be more inclined to go. You know, if they like time travel.

8. GET STUDENTS INVOLVED AND MAKE IT AN EVENT. Colleges could start an annual “Celebrate Writing” week where there is a different writer reading each night. Build up the hype. Have a survey go out to the entire campus with ten options and have the students vote for who they want to see come to campus.

. . .

I can’t say whether or not attendance at readings on college campuses has gone down over the years, or if there has always been a low attendance. However, I can’t help but imagine that it used to be higher, back when reading was a commonplace form of entertainment and when less emphasis was placed on math and the sciences at liberal arts colleges. (Not to say math and science aren’t lovely academic subjects, but you know.)

All that said, I realize I am just as much part of the problem as I am trying to be part of the solution. I skipped Charlie Baxter this spring. And I skipped Edwidge Danticat freshman year, which was super dumb especially because I had just read Breath, Eyes, Memory. I was all prepared to go to Charlie Baxter—had even brought a notebook to take notes so I could blog about it later—but then no one would go with me and it meant leaving dinner early and it was in a building that I had never been to on a different campus. I similarly skipped Danticat because I wasn’t sure where it was.

Which brings me to something the Aimee Bender reading did have that the others hadn’t… balloons. Bright yellow balloons tied to a sign indicating where the reading was taking place, and that you were welcome to come.