In the fourteen years I have been alive I have never stepped in, nor even been near a nightclub. Wow, crazy right? Yeah, the whole idea of going to a ‘club’ when I’m twenty-one and doing whatever it is twenty-one year olds do I had never really thought about until a few days ago. It was Tuesday (Sep 29) when Maia Ipp came into our Creative Writing Class and announced that we and the entirety of SOTA had been invited to an event called Mercury Soul. Mercury Soul for those of you who are uninformed is a concert of live electronica music and classical orchestra mixed together. The idea of the event is that you’re taking two types of music (electronica and classic) that are very much on opposite ends of the spectrum and mixing them together into one soup of sound. I was intrigued by the idea and thought it sounded exciting. So, as expected, the whole freshman class and Harmony (‘18) decided we would go all together on one big Friday night outing. We also settled on the idea that after our time at the club we would walk to The San Francisco Art Institute where we would participate in Cine Club, but that’s besides the point.

Mercury Soul was located at Ruby Skye, a club space near North Beach. The place is usually meant for only twenty-one and older but this night was the exception. The whole experience was fun and crazy. The night was filled with blue disco lights, bass strings being sprung at the notes of electronic music, and the smell of teenage sweat. I have never been the kind of girl who just starts dancing at events like these with confidence and grace. I’ve always felt awkward and the self-consciousness can really get to you at times. As a writer, I’ve always felt more comfortable inside my own head and notebook. Social skills are not my forte and I’m perfectly happy when I’m alone with my book. This isn’t to say I don’t love having friends and being with the artistic minds of people at SOTA because I do. Since being the Creative Writing Department I’ve noticed there is this stereotype that other people have of what a writer is. That where all introverts who stay inside all day, hunch over our notebooks and read. I find this funny, because in some ways this stereotype this very true, and it’s true in a good way. Everyone I’ve meet in Creative Writing is so unique and intelligent and I feel we’re all just a bunch of weirdos who like making our own paths. That’s a good thing, being unique is important, and it’s something very valuable when you’re a writer. At Mercury Soul I felt I was too able to loosen up and be myself. I was able to just dance to the music, only being with the people I love and who I know love me.

Julieta Roll, Class of 2019