Elizabethtown College English Department

The Creative Writing Club is a group of students who celebrate their love of writing through interacting with other writers on Elizabethtown’s campus. The club is currently run by a mixture of majors on campus and, as of the spring of 2017, the club meets on a biweekly basis on Thursdays at 3:30pm in Nicarry 234.

The main goal of the club is to get people excited about writing. It is a place where students can come to create and write as they please.

Welcoming All Writers

“No matter what your major, background, interests, or skill level, Creative Writing Club is a place for those who are interested to come and write together,” Elizabeth McIlhenneye, President of the Creative Writing Club said. “We make sure that the club is a no-judgement zone so that everyone can feel free to express themselves.”

The club participates in a variety of writing activities, including weekly writing prompts which can involve either individual or group writing. Writers can submit drafts to the club, and club members will offer anonymous constructive criticism in a supportive manner.

“The Creative Writing Club is a club where anyone regardless of major or background can express themselves in judgement free environment,” Atikah Ahmat, Vice President of the Creative Writing Club, said. “Not only do we do fun writing prompts, but students are also welcome to bring their own writing pieces for edits. We also accept writing assignments from other classes to look over as well.”

Writing with a Purpose

The club focuses primarily on the act of writing itself rather than any sort of writing theories or strategies. While the club and its members are more than willing to help writers move forward, they prefer that act to be done with actual writing rather than mirroring a creative writing class.

“For me personally, I enjoy writing because it helps me express my thoughts and feelings in a fun and creative way. One of my goals is to write a novel someday,” Ahmat said.

Connecting with a Writing Community

The club actively encourages members to submit to Etown’s literary journal Fine Print and to participate in nationwide writing events like National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO), which takes place every November and challenges writers to complete a 50,000 word novel in just one month.

The club has also held open readings on campus to give students the ability to read their writing aloud. They also encourage members to pursue creative writing courses on campus through the English Departments Creative Writing Minor, led by Professor Carmine Sarracino.

As a relatively new club, they are eager to accept new members and are currently looking for students who may wish to fulfill leadership roles in the future. The club is open to all majors, not just English majors, and appreciates the diversity of writing and style that they receive as a result.

To get in touch with the Creative Writing Club, you can email them at creativewritingclub@etown.edu.

Author Bio:

Kayleigh Kuykendall is a senior English major who has had her work published in multiple publications on campus. Her work has appeared in the literary magazine, Fine Print, and has worked as both the Campus Life Editor and Assistant Editor for the Etownian.

 

Tags: creative writing, Sarracino, writing