Beer & Bards is an event held at Enoch’s Pub and Grill every second Thursday of each month. It’s a place for people to read their poems, narratives, short stories and anything else they have written. It’s also a place to relax, have a drink and grab a quick bite to eat.

English professor Jack Heflin started this tradition and hosts the event every month.

“We began Beer & Bards to give students the experience of reading their poems, short stories and essays to a live, sympathetic audience and to create a community of writers in Monroe,” Heflin said.. “Over the years, hundreds of readers have participated in the series and many have gone on to publish books.”

There are different types of poems and narratives shared; you never knew what to expect. The readings ranged from poems about asparagus, to contemplating the meaning of life and a short series of poems about how one man needed to poop after breakfast.

Beer & Bards is an event for students and other adults to feel comfortable and safe when sharing these intimate writings.

Sarah Owens, sophomore music education major, shared some of her intimate writings at Beer & Bards.

“It’s a good place for people to come together and share a community of art,” Owens said.

But this event isn’t for everybody. It’s for people who can appreciate someone else’s work and art for what it truly is.

Art is raw, beautiful and unique to each person. This event expresses that, and the students do not hold back. There is no censorship at this event; it’s real and vulnerable.

This event is about people coming together and for two hours sharing each other’s burdens, laughter and victories. Bryce Lovelady, sophomore computer information and system major, shared an essay he wrote during his freshman year.

“Beer & Bards really gives me a sense of what some of my peers are going through and it has opened up a whole new perspective for me,” Lovelady said.

This event is for students to be bold and step out of their comfort zone.