There were only two items requested from the attendees — a food dish and a poem written by a woman author.

One by one, everyone gathered around the room read their poem aloud as their audience nibbled on everything from cheesecakes to salads. Most people began by explaining why they chose their specific piece.

Residential College in the Arts and Humanities sophomore Emily Barber said she picked her poem, “Turtle” by Kay Ryan, because it is one that she and her mom share a love for.

Linnea Jimison, the assistant director for the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Center for Poetry, said the event helped build a sense of community.

“I think it’s important to draw attention to female artists in general, and this is a nice way to come together and celebrate not only poetry, but also those artists,” Jimison said.

Whether affiliated with MSU or not, community members were encouraged to attend.

“I heard about the event in Anita’s class,” said Emily Haas, a junior in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities. “I didn’t really know there were fun, poetry things happening on campus. These events are always nice because they help us get involved in the community, and see ages other than college kids.”

Anita Skeen, the arts coordinator and director of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities Center for Poetry, said this year’s theme was inspired by Project 60/50.

Since Project 60/50 is centered around the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, they decided to highlight a different movement that happened shortly after — the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 70s.

“I talk a lot about how second-wave feminism laid the groundwork for gender issues still going on today,” Jimison said. “I think it’s still relevant to talk about what women were doing and writing about back then and how it influences our thoughts today.”