Hee Haw Austin!

First time in Austin and I'm loving it. The people are great, the weather is balmy, and country music abounds. It helps that I left below negative temperatures at home in Cleveland, and yet I still can't seem to abandon my scarf!

What is not so great is that I seemed to have forgotten literally everything I needed for this trip (except my swimsuit). Thank you so much Deb for driving me to Target this am to pick up all the necessities I had forgotten.

I'm here for the Lilly Conference: Evidence Based Teaching and Learning where friend and colleague Bridget Kriner and I will be presenting on (re)imaginings, a program we co-chair.

The (re)imaginings contest and culminating event is one of several co-curricular activities surrounding our college's common read, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, a non-fiction account of just how unjust the justice system can be.

The contest asks students to (re)imagine any portion of the book in any medium. Examples of possible approaches include the creation of a poem, musical score, short film, photograph, play, poster, etc. Themes of the book are even translated in a culinary language.

The event showcases all student submissions across the following categories: creative writing, academic/research, performance, media, and visual. In addition, the top six culinary student chefs prepare their entries in the demo kitchens at the venue site (the Hospitality Management Center downtown on Public Square) for event attendees to vote on.

The announcement of the winners, selected by faculty, administrators, attendees, and community experts, closes out the evening - one which always makes me so proud of our amazing students and the entries they produce.

Check out this incredible video by Eric Licht to get an inside look at what (re)imaginings looks like: