Homecoming Daze

By Kelly Papyrus

After almost four years of studying at Tubman Walker, a Historically Black College/University, Norah is ready to graduate and leave the social scene behind. First, she has to finish her student film about HBCU Homecoming weekend, and get to know each of her subjects better.

As she interviews and follows Caleb, an activist from a politically aware, well-off family, and Taiwo, a first-generation American struggling to get by with student jobs, each of them starts to draw her in and inspire her overactive imagination. With little experience and even less confidence, Norah has to navigate making the movie, her growing attraction to each subject, and the minefield that is Homecoming fashion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bryant Street Shorts
• Release date: Jan 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094417172

Kelly Papyrus

Kelly Papyrus is a writer whose stories feature diverse characters and people of color. She loves learning about new cultures and writing about them. She lives in Florida and loves dogs.

Book preview

Homecoming Daze

You’re late, Professor Campbell said, his voice barely loud enough to hear over the chaos in the hallway. The countdown to the weekend had begun, and the school hallways were filled with excited voices, snippets of music, and the occasional cheer or yell. The professor motioned for her to close the door and come in. His brown eyes narrowed behind his round eyeglasses, and he ran one hand along his close-cropped grey hair.

I know. I apologize, Norah said, biting back the urge to point out it was only a few minutes. She knew it wouldn’t do her any good. Campbell nodded, but didn’t answer, just gestured for her to sit in the empty chair in front of his desk. In a diamond-knit sweater and khakis, he looked like someone’s stern Grandpa, ready to scold them for running in the house. Norah sat, taking a moment to smooth the blouse she’d borrowed without asking from her roommate Brittany; it was creamy white with long sleeves, with ties attached at the collar to make a floppy bow. Standing in front of the mirror in their shared bathroom, the white cotton had popped against her skin and made her look mature and refined, especially paired with her houndstooth-print pencil skirt and heels, she’d thought. Now she felt like a little girl playing at being a grown-up in Mommy’s blouse, the small bow at her throat stifling her as she tried not to slouch.

At least you managed to submit your assignment on time, so I was able to look at it while I was waiting for you, he said. Shit, she thought. Without her here to explain what she was trying to say, how the film should be interpreted— Campbell was going to see what he wanted.

I was hoping to watch it with you. There are some sections I feel unsure about…. she hesitated as he turned the monitor of his computer so she could see it.

All of my students would like me to watch their short films with them, but I simply don’t have time for hand-holding at this point in the semester. Your film should already have good structure. This is just a check-in so I can see how things are going and point out things you may not see, he said, as he clicked his mouse and the screen came to life. She winced as she saw that he’d paused in the middle of the section that covered the historical impact of Homecoming. It was necessary to help viewers understand how much the week meant to the student body, the alumni; hell, the whole Black community. It set up all of the drama in the narrative, and made the stakes higher. But it dragged on too long and she knew it.

By the time students get to Senior Seminar in Film, they should already have good instincts about timing, narrative, and storytelling, he said. "The ones who are really talented don’t need pages of feedback from me. A little gentle direction is all."

Norah nodded, resisting the urge to pull at the bow again and scratch the skin underneath. You’re not really itchy, you’re just anxious. Calm down.

You are one of those students. Most of this film is visually engaging and the narrative moves quickly, except for this one section. That’s what I’d like to discuss, he said, clicking the mouse again so the screen came to life. Norah forced herself to take a deep breath as she watched. Black-and-white images of the first students to graduate from the school flashed on the screen as a voiceover from the Dean explained the need for historically Black colleges and universities:

My mother attended this school, as did my father. They had limited options that were affordable, but more than that, they wanted to attend an institution that was part of their community. That embraced their life, their traditions. This place, it’s more than a school to me and my family. Tubman Walker University is a part of our lives that brings us closer together.

The scene shifted to the Dean, walking along the current-day campus with her parents in tow. Arm in arm, in matching royal blue, they looked around and pointed to new additions to the grounds. Professor Campbell paused the playback and skipped to a few moments back in the footage.

I understand why you need to keep this section, so what I’d recommend is to amp up the section right before it. In particular, I think two of the subjects you’re following are more engaging than the others.

He resumed the playback and Norah felt tension in her chest at the young man staring back. Dark brown skin blended seamlessly into the perfect pink of his lips. His round face smiled into the camera, showcasing his high cheekbones and straight, white teeth. In a short-sleeved black dashiki with gold embroidery around the neck and arms, his chest and arm muscles were easy to make out. When she’d filmed his interview, she’d had the strangest feeling; a sensation that he was looking through the camera and speaking directly to her. Now, she felt it again, a prickling sensation in her stomach that made her feel like Taiwo was right there in the room, staring through her with his intense gaze.

Taiwo is a traditional name from Nigeria, where my parents are from. It signifies that I am the twin who went out into the world first, he said, and hearing the deep timbre of his voice, the sensation in Norah’s chest increased and spread to her stomach.

We came here from Africa when my brother and I were just three years old. America is my home, what I know. But our parents made sure to let us know that Nigeria is our family home and we must always remember where we came from, his narration continued over childhood photos of him and his brother in traditional Igbo outfits, shots of them in Timberland boots and sweaters in front of their apartment building, and a professional shot of the whole family with the twins at high school graduation.

"I came here because of the opportunity I got for an affordable education, scholarships and all that. But I also came because of the Nigerian student population. I wanted to connect with other African-Americans like me as I climb the ladder to success, and trust me; I will climb it."

Cut to a shot of the Nigerian Students Union’s end of the year celebration. In the audience, men and women were dressed to the nines. Some had taken trips to Fifth Avenue to buy designer gowns from the Ready-to-Wear collections of their celebrity favorites. Others were draped in full Igbo regalia, headwraps and dresses in bright patterns drawing the eye of everyone they passed. In front of the room, Taiwo stood at a microphone, looking polished and pulled together in a gray suit, the small beads of sweat collecting just under his hairline the only indication he was nervous. Professor Campbell paused the footage again and cut his eyes back over to Norah.

How did you decide to include Taiwo as a subject? Is he a friend of yours?

Not really, but I know him, she said."Everyone knows Taiwo. He works in the cafeteria and at the library; he’s Treasurer of the Nigerian Students Union; he’s always around. I thought he’d definitely be an interesting viewpoint to have in the film." She didn’t mention that he always had a smile for her, even at six in the morning when she hadn’t done hair or makeup, and when speaking to him, she felt like he was really listening to her, instead of just waiting to talk. Many of the girls on campus had an unrequited crush on Ty just like she did, she was sure of that. She’d known him for years now, and he always flirted with her, but left things at that and didn’t push for anything more. It didn’t seem likely that he saw her as anything other than a friend, and she was trying to force her brain to see him as just another participant in the film.

It’s a compelling sort of underdog story about working through college without a dime to spare; one most of us know all too well, Campbell said, and she nodded along. The meeting was actually going well, and she didn’t dare say anything to mess it up. The professor skipped to another part of the film and pressed play again.

Especially when you juxtapose it with this one.

Norah remembered shooting these frames and how she had put the camera all the way on the ground so the viewer could see how imposing Caleb was with the whole crowd watching and amping him up. Watching him on the screen, she saw that not only did he

Reviews for Homecoming Daze

[kween · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was awesome! It was easy to relate to. And all the characters played their roles well. It's hard to belive this book was so short as I was too deeply immersed into the story to notice. I'm sad it's done but I know i will definitely reread this in the future. Will recommend for sure.