The '313 Spelling Bee' is bringing more than just wordsmiths together
An adult spelling bee on a mission to share the love of literary arts is going viral thanks to a craving for community and the creator's social media savvy sister.
A trip to Chicago was the inspiration behind Nneka Ezeanya’s 313 Spelling Bee.
Hundreds of Detroiters attended her first two spelling bees this summer, with a third Halloween-themed contest happening Friday evening at Olympia Skateshop’s new store in Milwaukee Junction.
The spelling bee I had the pleasure of attending near Boston Edison last month was packed with passionate readers and writers thanks to a viral TikTok posted by her sister, Chinelo Ezeanya. The bookworms, wordsmiths and poets I met said they were motivated to come after seeing the flyer on social media.
“The family is involved and very helpful,” Ezeanya told me Thursday. “I got my younger sister who is a social media head to make videos — that’s our collaboration. She has a great vision and she executes it well.”
The idea was created earlier this year when Ezeanya saw a flyer for an adult spelling bee while walking around Chicago, and imagined hosting her own in Detroit.
“My friend was like, ‘No that’s lame,’” she said.
Ezeanya did it anyway.
“I want to thank the first group that came out because they pushed me to have another event” Ezeanya said, adding that the demand for more is the only reason she planned another.
At the second spelling bee under the gazebo at Gordon Park across from the Congregation, spellers asked for repeats, for a word’s definition or to hear it in a sentence, just like spelling competitions you’ve watched on television.
People in attendance, sitting in lawn chairs and blankets in the grass, cheered on their friends who advanced until the final three spellers. Some laughed at their own failed attempts to spell along with contestants.
The promotion video for the event received more than 27 thousand likes on TikTok.
“My sister made a post on TikTok and said, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to blow up.’ I opened the app and there’s thousands of likes and comments — we got 180 RSVPs on Partiful.”
The viral clip caught the attention of Partiful staff, who came to the September spelling bee to offer gifts and prizes for participants.
Michael Hirsch’s recap of the gathering has more than 10 thousand likes, with a comment section filled with praise for community, heart emojis and one person saying the video nearly made them cry. Attendees I talked to were mostly language lovers, but some spectators told me they just wanted to be part of something wholesome and fun.
The successful spelling of prestidigitation by Bill “Dollar Dollar,” the winner of the September contest, drew a similar reaction online as it did in person. (Watch below)
Ezeanya, a public health official with the state, says she has always had a love for words.
"I’m Nigerian — stereotypically, my parents were really big into academia and I fed into it as a kid,” Ezeanya said. “My dad is a fan of the literary arts, he walks around with books wrapped up in rubber bands to keep bookmarks from falling out so he doesn’t lose his place. He’s always been writing in them. He has a nice collection of books and he annotates them with sticky notes.”
Ezeanya says her mom, who sat front row for the Gordon Park event, is big into writing as well.
On Saturdays Ezeanya works with a national nonprofit, MindsMatter, where she helps assist Detroit students seeking higher education.
“We meet and help kids with their school application process; looking at transcripts, writing recommendation letters, helping them secure scholarships,” she said. “It’s nice, I really enjoy it and it’s why I keep going back.”
The third installment of the 313 Spelling Bee — the Spelling Bee for Adults: Spooky Edition — is 7pm at Olympia Skateshop (626 Harper Ave. Suite F) Friday, Oct. 24.
There are over 120 RSVPs on Partiful, with 30 spellers set to compete. Halloween costumes are encouraged.
A brand ambassador with Partiful, the invitation app, reached out again with plans to supply a special grand prize for the winner, Ezeanya said.
She says to watch out for more events. Eventually the goal is to partner with a bookstore or even the Detroit Public Library for one of the spelling bees.
“That was my safe haven growing up,” she said.
“I’m very grateful for the amount of love we’ve gotten in such a sort amount of time,” Ezeanya told me. “It warms my heart people want to come together to enjoy the joys of spelling. That people are coming together socially and professionally — it’s surreal.”
