Oakland University’s Creative Writing Club (CWC) and the Department of English collaborated on the “How to Succeed as a Creative Writing Major” event on Jan. 26 in the Oakland Center Lake Huron Room.
The event featured a panel discussion with professor Annie Gilson, CWC president Annie Williams, CWC vice president and president of the English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta Taya Alani and Student Writers Group (SWG) president Ginger Fuller.
Gilson said the event was hosted to provide current and prospective students with the resources to be successful.
“We want our students to succeed, so we are building informational sessions into our curriculum so that students have an opportunity to come, whether they’re from other majors, from us, people who just like to write, so they can know that it’s not just about taking classes,” Gilson said.
Each member of the panel brought a different perspective on what assists current and prospective creative writing students in their success.
Students were advised to get involved with writing outside of the classroom through student organizations, whether that be through the CWC, the SWG and Sigma Tau Delta.
“We can advocate for getting involved with extracurricular organizations on campus,” Fuller said. “Your classes are a great place to start in terms of some of these social connections… it always feels a little odd to go up to somebody and be like, ‘Hey, I really liked your poem in class. I think we should talk about our writing,’ but so many friendships and [so much] community engagement start that way.”
Fuller added that the Writing Center, housed in Kresge Library on campus, can assist students with refining their writing, whether it’s a creative piece or otherwise. Students can also apply to work in the Writing Center, honing their writing skills while getting paid and gaining editing experience.
“It has been a great opportunity for me as a means of work, and I’ve improved so much in my own writing as someone who is working with other students,” she said. “If you’re not interested in working in that, it is still a great resource for you to go to as a client, bringing in some of your creative writing pieces or even your academic essays.”
Additionally, Gilson advised students to look into opportunities for publication, including the Oakland Arts Review (OAR) — OU’s literary journal for undergraduates. Whether submitting work or working behind the scenes to publish the journal, Gilson said, OAR is a great way to gain experience.
“This a top-notch journal. A number of folks are getting published in it. We’ve had undergraduates published in the past,” Gilson said. “It’s so, so impressive, so professional. I do think that it’s good for you to, if you want to get into the publishing world, that’s a huge thing we offer.”
The most important thing, Alani said, is getting involved and utilizing your network.
“The number one thing that has helped elevate my experience and helped elevate me as a professional is so much communication with the network that we do have here,” Alani said. “Always talking to your professors, always talking with your peers, always bouncing ideas off of each other… going outside of the circles that you’re used to.”
Fuller echoed a similar sentiment.
“Creative writing, especially as a major, rewards the work that you put into it in the sense that you seek out these opportunities and you choose to define it in a way that’s impactful for you,” Fuller said.
For more information about OU’s creative writing major, visit the program’s website.
