Study Spaces: The Creative Writing Library

I’m starting to think that I should call this segment “Serene Study Spaces” or “Secluded Study Spaces.” It seems like those are the types of spots that I seek out. Next week, in honor of midterms, I’ll find someplace where everyone is studying, one of those pressure-cooking locales. But for today, I’m in the one-room Creative Writing Library at 185 Nassau Street, alone but surrounded by authors and poets.

Seriously, I love this room because of the books that fill its shelves. In 1995, Professor Joyce Carol Oates chose the library to receive a complete set of Penguin Classics; so here you study in the company of Dante, Dickens, and Dostoyevsky (the D-shelf is at eyelevel). But I believe that equally intriguing for a Princeton student are the works shelved next to these classics: creative theses dating back to 1988, some over 300 pages long. A myriad of similar black spines symbolize so many hours of work done by students in our positions. It’s particularly fun to look at those written in the past few years, with names I recognize embossed on the covers. Does any other department have their theses out on display like this?

There’s only one table in this library, but like I’ve indicated, its tiny size is part of its charm. The large windows on one wall overlook Nassau Street, which can often be a welcome change from campus scenery.

The cons? There’s no telling when this library will be open or available. Creative Writing seminars take place in this room, so you may come here intending to study and be greeted by a renowned author or poet and ten Princeton students basking in that person’s presence. The room also has the possibility of being locked at any given time. I’ll update this post later if I can get information regarding the library’s hours. But for now, let’s think of the unpredictability as part of the adventure.

Creative Writing Library Hours:

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- Meghan Todt ‘11