By Bri Spencer / The Jambar
The 47th annual English Festival took place on Youngstown State University’s campus from April 9-11. About 2,600 students and teachers attended from more than 200 regional schools.
In order to attend the English Festival, students commit to reading seven books. Depending on the grade level, students read from curated lists and teachers monitor their progress throughout the year.
Students in grades 10-12 attended the festival April 9, while students in grades 7-9 followed April 10-11.
In addition to reading the required books, many students wrote optional essays for the Candace Gay Memorial Essay Contest or sent in musical compositions for the Jeremy Salvner Memorial Music Contest.
The festival honored contest winners at an awards ceremony following the conclusion of each day. Students who participated in contests during the day-long festival were also recognized. Over 200 winners won more than $15,000 in prize money, books and merchandise.
During the day’s events, students participated in activities such as guest lectures from festival authors, writing impromptu essays, collaborating in workshop activities, participating in book discussions, competing in language games and trivia competitions.
While students partake in festival events, teachers and other volunteers act as contest judges for the winners awarded that day.
Deborah Staffeld, eighth grade English teacher at South Range Middle School, took 28 students to the event on Thursday. Staffeld has taken students to the festival for nearly 15 years.
Staffeld was a judge for writing games this year, having judged many other events in previous years. She said she likes to see the creative works of students.
“I love judging writing games because the kids are so creative and what they come up with — it’s just fun to see kids having fun with it,” Staffeld said.
Staffeld believes the English Festival is powerful in bringing students who like to read together.
“It’s an opportunity for readers to hang out with readers,” Staffeld said. “You have the opportunity to hang out with people who love the written word from other areas around the state.”
The festival featured Alan Gratz as the Thomas and Carol Gay Memorial Lecturer, and Quartez Harris, poet and 2021 Ohio Poet of the Year winner, as the festival’s James A. Houck Memorial Lecturer. Rikki Santer, 2023 winner of Ohio Poet of the Year, was also featured as the David & Helga Ives Memorial Lecturer.
Chris Crutcher, previously featured author at the English Festival, said he appreciates the event and what it offers to various students and participants.
“YSU has the premier English Festival in the country, and maybe the world, both in size and scope,” Crutcher said. “Kids who never get to walk across the stage to cheers of their peers, get to walk across the stage to the cheers of their peers. If you’re a writer lucky enough to get invited, you leave feeling like you’ve spent three days in literary Disneyland.”