New club gives students the chance to write, learn, share

The Creative Writing Club is one of the newest student organizations this year. In addition to weekly meetings and writing workshops, the club has launched a creative writing website strictly for OU students and faculty.

Unlike other writing groups, the club focuses on the creative side of writing. Students and faculty can learn how to write various elements of story, such as dialogue, and how to incorporate literary devices to enhance their writing skills.

“We accept all types of genres — just write your heart out and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot write,” said Zach Guida, president of the Creative Writing Club. “We try to aim to be a family so we can trust each other. It’s a family you can go to.”

The club was created in March in response to the recent addition of the creative writing major to OU’s curriculum. Creative writing students wanted a community of writers to come together and develop their individual works.

“The club is a great way to connect with other writers in the writing community,” club treasurer Brianne Bendel, said. “We not only have writing prompts and activities at the meetings but we also have great discussions about the writing process as well.”

Among other events throughout the year, the club is planning a meeting in March during National Reading Month. The meeting will tackle publishing with specifics on the writing and publishing process. It will also discuss how to find literary agents, getting published and the broad world of self-publishing.

“I’ve been to many publishing events on campus and I didn’t really get a clear image on how exactly the publishing industry worked, and we want people to be clear on what to expect,” Guida said.

Students who cannot make it to the meetings can participate in the club’s student writing portal. This website is for OU students and faculty, similar to an offshoot of a Moodle discussion board.

“The student writing portal is also a great way to share our writings with others and get feedback. A lot of people have already started posting poems and stories,” Bendel said. “We know that there are other writing groups on campus, but we wanted this club to be more laid-back — just a place where people can come hang out, write and talk about writing. So far, that’s exactly what we have.”

The Creative Writing Club meets Tuesdays at noon with the location to be determined each week until the club secures a room on campus. Students and faculty are encouraged to join the GrizzOrgs network and the club’s Facebook page to stay connected to its activities and future events.

The student writing portal is accessible by email invitation only, so those interested in participating should contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.