On Monday, Sept .23, the annual iREAD lecture was conducted to celebrate the WU Literary Week and announced the 2024-25 iRead selection “RAFT OF STARS” by Andrew J. Graff from 7 p.m.- 8 p.m. in White Concert Hall. More than 1200 students were present at the event.
The event started off with a welcome from the president, JuliAnn Mazachek. She talked about how the iREAD program is a common reading experience for students.
“It is tailored for Washburn University’s community of learning and allows students, faculty and members of the greater community to read one book each year to reflect our shared humanity, explore issues and opportunities that challenge and inspire us around the world,” Mazachek said.
After Mazachek’s speech, she welcomed Graff to the stage. He is a novelist and English professor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He began the lecture by talking about storytelling and how it helps us.
“[Storytelling] helps us not feel alone when we find ourselves in the middle of a wilderness to know that others have come before us and we can do it too and we are going to make it,” Graff said.
Raquel Easter, freshman accounting major, shared her thoughts on the event after the lecture.
“I like how the author put a little part of his life in the development of his book,” Easter said. “I learned to keep trying regardless if it might take longer, but you’ll eventually get something, someone might like what you put there.”
“Raft of Stars” is Graff’s debut novel, which came out in 2021. He talked about the importance of books and how they can influence people, including students.
“This book is important for students because it teaches how to tolerate their wilderness,” Graff said.
Leanna Hansen, freshman exploratory, expressed how she felt after the lecture.
“I like that he gave a lot of information to students who might be aspiring authors,” Hansen said. “The event was great and helped me learn more about the book and author who wrote it.”
WU Literary Week has taken the opportunity to invite writers like Graff to guide students who might be interested in literature. Graff talked more about his books.
“There are several reviews of this book and the year it came out, the New York Times Book Review and the Boston Globe had two big reviews that will share more about the story,” Graff said.
The event ended with Graff signing the books for the students and taking photos with them.
Edited by Stuti Khadka and Jeremy Ford
