During the last weekend of September, the Griot hosted its annual Dancing Mind Challenge, a two day event that challenges you to put away all devices and read and write for 2 to 8 hours. The challenge is inspired by Toni Morrison, it is meant for you to engage deeply with the text, promote mindfulness and a sense of tranquility.
The Friday before the challenge, at our weekly Griot staff meeting, the interns had an interesting debate about whether it is more effective to write and think on paper for a set amount of time, with nothing else but the paper and pencil, or if it is more effective to have a bit more freedom and be able to type and think on a computer. Which one gets the better results as far as generating ideas? The interns were pretty split and I was on the side of computers. Throughout the past month Cymone and Michelle have been urging us to participate in the challenge and we all had pretty mixed feelings about it, some mentioning that it will be difficult to even find a book to read during the challenge and to be able to sit still for that long. In response Cymone gave us many book recommendations. Curious about what this challenge brings, I decided to sign up to blog about the challenge, writing about observing others as well as participating in it myself.
The local bookshop, Mondragon, partnered with the Griot to participate in the challenge, so on Saturday night I went to Mondragon to be a part of the Dancing Mind Lock In. I brought my friend with me to also participate. As we entered the book store, the owner of the shop, Sarah Jane, said there were only two rules: no phones and no talking. I think Mondragon was one of the best places to have this event as there are many comfortable couches, jazz playing in the background and warm, soft lighting. It has a very cozy atmosphere.
A few people were already there, some young and some older. Three other Bucknell students who I personally knew were there. They sat on the floor close to each other in between two short book shelves. They changed their sitting positions a lot, sometimes laying on the floor, slouching back on the shelves, and sitting straight up. Every couch and chair available was taken, other people were also on the floor. Sarah Jane brought out snacks that included tea, wine, crackers, ginger snaps and cheese.
Once I realized that everyone was settled in and will mostly be seated in the same position, I decided to participate in the challenge. I brought the book Black Boy by Richard Wright to read. While I was reading, I found myself not getting really distracted as I usually do when I pick up something to read. I really enjoyed that everyone was reading around me and it made me want to continue. It was definitely a fulfilling feeling to be in community with other people while reading.
It did get to a point where the challenge of reading felt difficult and my brain started to hurt a little. It was also hard not knowing how much time was left because where I was sitting I couldn’t see the clock and of course we couldn’t use our phones. But I pushed myself past that uncomfortability. I also felt myself being able to visualize what I was reading a lot more than I am typically able to. I could really picture the world that the author was describing. I also read a lot more pages than I am typically able to do in 2 hours.
The two hours went by pretty quick, I went to go check the clock and it was only 3 minutes left of the lock in. The time flew by so quickly, it really did not feel like two hours. When the time was up an alarm went off and the music stopped, people immediately got up to stretch and to start talking with each other. I went over to the group of students and I asked them how their experience was and they said that it was pretty good. They told me about the different books that they were reading, one was about economics, the other was about rocks, and the last was a coming of age murder mystery. They were telling me some of the interactions they had with each other while reading and they seemed pretty excited and well energized after the challenge. I went over to another group of people, who seemed to be friends and asked how they enjoyed the experience. One did say that they checked their phone mid challenge for the time, and his friends made fun of him saying that he failed. Their choice in books varied as well: one of the novels was by R.F Kuang and someone else was reading Octavia Butler’s Kindred. This group also seemed very rejuvenated and talkative after reading. My friend that I came with told me that her experience with the challenge was also pretty difficult because she felt like her brain was tired but there was no choice but to continue the challenge, so she had to push herself.
My final thoughts of the challenge was that it was pretty cool to be with a bunch of people and have nothing else to focus on but read, to be unplugged and not have anyone contact you. It allowed me to be in a different reality and to use my imagination a bit more.
-Da’Mirah Vinson