OCTC Common Reading
Spring 2025 Common Reading Selection: This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women
Owensboro Community and Technical College is pleased to announce an exciting lineup of events and opportunities for students, faculty, and community members as part of this semester's Common Reading program. This spring, the focus will center on the inspiring anthology This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women.
Monthly Writing Workshop Series
OCTC will host a series of free, interactive writing workshops featuring acclaimed authors with ties to the Common Reading program. These workshops are open to students, faculty, and community members, with no prior writing experience required. Seating is limited to 25 participants per session, and pre-registration is required. Register for one (or more) workshops HERE.
Workshop Schedule:
Amy Bellamy is an Owensboro native and author of the Spring 2020 Common Reading selection, the novel Waverly. Learn more about Amy Bellamy and the books she’s written by visiting her website.
Workshop Details:
Date: Friday, January 31
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Central), followed by a box lunch
Location: IIC (Industry Innovation Center), Room 105, OCTC Main Campus (New Hartford Road)
Materials: Basic writing materials will be provided. Participants may also bring their own supplies or laptops.
Greta McDonough is a former OCTC Professor, columnist for The Messenger-Inquirer, and author of Her Troublesome Boys: The Lucy Furman Story. Learn more about Greta McDonough and read from her blog.
Workshop Details:
Date: Friday, February 14
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Central), followed by a box lunch
Location: IIC (Industry Innovation Center), Room 105, OCTC Main Campus (New Hartford Road)
Materials: Basic writing materials will be provided. Participants may also bring their own supplies or laptops.
George Ella Lyon is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Spring 2011 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Catalpa. Learn more about George Ella Lyon and all she has to offer on her website.
Workshop Details:
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Central), followed by a box lunch
Location: IIC (Industry Innovation Center), Room 105, OCTC Main Campus (New Hartford Road)
Materials: Basic writing materials will be provided. Participants may also bring their own supplies or laptops.
Frank X Walker is the author of one of the essays in this semester’s Common Reading, This I Believe, “Creative Solutions to Life’s Challenges.” He is a former Kentucky Poet Laureate and author of the Fall 2007 Common Reading selection, the poetry collection Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York. Learn more about Frank X Walker on his website.
Workshop Details:
Date: Friday, April 4
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM (Central), followed by a box lunch
Location: IIC (Industry Innovation Center), Room 105, OCTC Main Campus (New Hartford Road)
Materials: Basic writing materials will be provided. Participants may also bring their own supplies or laptops.
For more information about the workshops, contact Kaye Brown, Professor of English, Common Reading Committee Co-Chair by emailing kaye.brown@kctcs.edu.
"This I Believe" Essay Writing Contest for OCTC Students
For current OCTC students... What do you believe? Writing your own statement of personal belief is a meaningful challenge and a powerful way to reflect on what truly matters to you. Even better, it’s something worth sharing with others!
Start by brainstorming ideas, jotting down your thoughts, and experimenting with drafts—you might be surprised at what you discover about yourself along the way. To help you get started, we’ve gathered some helpful tips from the official This I Believe website, along with examples to inspire you. Check out the full guidelines and more at www.thisibelieve.org.
Dive in and share your unique perspective with the world!
- “Tell a story about you: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events that have shaped your core values…. Tell of things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching—it can even be funny— but it should be real.” Consider moments when your belief was formed, tested, or changed.
- Be brief: Your statement should be between 350 and 500 words. “The shorter length forces you to focus on the belief that is central to your life.”
- “Name your belief: Be specific. Don’t simply list ideas, but craft a developed, organized essay which discusses the roots of your belief, how it has developed, and what sustains it.
- “Be positive: Say what you do believe, not what you don’t. Try not to critique others’ beliefs or dictate your ideas as absolute; focus on exploring the core of your own experience and certainty.
- “Be personal: Make your essay about you; speak in the first person…. Tell a story from your own life; this is not an opinion piece about social ideals.” Try reading your essay aloud several times, and “each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.”
- This essay writing contest is reserved for current OCTC students.
- Essays should follow the length and general guidelines above to be considered. One entry per person. This writing must be YOUR OWN writing and phrasing. No sources or additional tools should be used or cited. Essays which do not abide by this guideline will be disqualified. You may submit essays you have written for class this semester, provided the essay meets these guidelines.
- At the top right of your document, please include: your full preferred name, text-capable phone number, and your student (KCTCS) email address. Centered at the start of your essay should be your title.
- Essays must be submitted as Microsoft Word document attachments (use the paperclip icon to attach your file) to the email: tonya.northenor@kctcs.edu. We recommend you send your entry from your student (KCTCS) email address. Please do not submit shared, linked, or GoogleDocs, or your essay may not be read. Please make your email subject: “This I Believe contest entry.”
- Email your complete final draft. You will receive a confirmation email to your provided student (KCTCS) email address, once the document has been opened and the entry is saved for review. Winners will be notified via email and will be asked for a photograph and short biographical statement.
- Winning “This I Believe” essays, as well as the author’s name and photograph, may appear on OCTC social media and sites. Winning essays may be published in OCTC publications or websites.
- Entries must be submitted by: Mon. March 24, 2025. Winners will be notified within three weeks. Winning awards will be presented on campus on April 25th. (You do not have to be present to be determined a winner of the contest). Questions can be sent to tonya.northenor@kctcs.edu.
Prizes for OCTC student winners will either be a gift card or a check!
- 1st place winner: $75
- 2nd place winner: $50
- 3rd place winner: $25
Other Information
FACEBOOK: To get the most recent updates, pictures, and events through Facebook, please like us on Facebook. Everyone is welcome (you don't have to have a Facebook page to view the page): OCTC Common Reading Facebook
Thank you: Special thanks to the many area donors who are helping us make the Common Reading and other campus initiatives more lasting and vital parts of our community through the NEH Grant efforts.
Note: Often the Common Reading's subject matter is quite complex. An attempt will be made to include a variety of perspectives on related themes or topics. The choice of book and supporting activities or materials are not intended to endorse any particular viewpoint. Please let our committee know if you have suggestions for resources or activities. Thanks!
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
LIBRARY DISPLAY: Each semester the OCTC main campus Library (LRC/LRE building) has a display of materials related to the book, writer, and theme of each Common Reading. Check it out!
LEND & LEAVE BOOKSHELF: In the LRC, upstairs near the art gallery, is a display of books that you may take and keep, take and pass on, or take and return. You may also bring some used books to leave for others.
MISSION STATEMENT: What is the Common Reading?
Each semester a book is selected as OCTC's Common Reading, with the idea that all participants could read the same material and have common ground for new discussions and mutual interests. While the book choices vary in many ways (different genres, time-periods, subject matters), they are chosen to expand the knowledge and perspectives of readers. The background of the selected writers is diverse; however, many Kentucky and regional writers are also included to help us appreciate local talent, acknowledge shared concerns, and celebrate our common heritage. All OCTC students, staff, faculty, and interested community members are invited and encouraged to participate by reading the books and attending the related presentations each semester.
