A Celebration of Creative Writers and Community: The Twentieth Anniversary of Ball State’s In Print Festival
(Smidebush, 2025)
News & Notes

Recently, Ball State’s English Department celebrated the twentieth anniversary of their In Print Festival of First Books, an annual two-day event that brings together recently published authors to share writing advice with current students. The festival was founded in 2005 by Jill Christman with the purpose of creating a writing-centered event that made the publishing process seem more tangible to students. “As a student once told me, ‘In Print makes what we do in the English Department real,’” Professor Christman states. 

This year’s In Print Festival ran from Wednesday, March 19th to Thursday, March 20th and invited four alumni writers back to Ball State: creative nonfiction writer Alysia Sawchyn, fiction writer Jay Coles, poet Matt Hart, and editor and creative nonfiction writer Gretchen Stelter. Additionally, this event marked the launch of the newest issue of The Broken Plate, a literary magazine run by Ball State undergraduates.  

In Print’s festivities kicked off on Wednesday evening with a literary fair featuring booths for English department clubs and publications. Later, a book reading and Q&A with Alysia Sawchyn, Jay Coles, and Matt Hart commenced, and afterwards, there was a book signing table with the authors. To celebrate In Print’s twentieth anniversary, the four alumni writers hosted additional panels throughout the duration of the festival, including a literary publishing panel, poetry class visit, and River Teeth visit. 

The In Print Festival ended on Thursday evening with a celebration and open mic emceed by alumni and published authors Ashley C. Ford and J.R. Jamison. Ball State students, faculty, and alumni took to the podium to read their work, and there was also a screening of Professor Rani Deighe Crowe’s new documentary about the history of the In Print Festival.  

Dr. Katy Didden, the Director of Creative Writing, was the leading force behind the planning of this year’s In Print Festival and brought day one of the In Print Festival to a close by saying, “I’ve taught here for ten years, and I’ve met so many students over the years. I want them all to meet each other because they’re so wonderful, and this is a glimpse of that dream.” 

To attend future English Department events, check out their events calendar here.