By Rachel Aster | Observer Contributor
While college is a stressful time of learning and studying, a lot of students find stress relief by letting their creative side flow. The Creative Writing Club has been an outlet for students since the 1970’s at the Mount. All students are welcome to attend events such as Open Mics and submit their written works to be published in the Club’s yearly magazine.
The club consists of 2-4 students who edit the magazine and put on a few events each year. Along with the core editors, everyone is welcome to join the meetings which are every other Monday, as of Oct 23, at 12:30 p.m. in room 071.
The meetings are used to plan field trips, open mics, the spring Magazine and sometimes getting public speakers to come to the school. The club meetings are open-minded and are sometimes even used for writing or to share writings. Students are free to do as they please which makes every meeting unique.
Professor Michelle Valois, an English instructor who teaches Creative Writing I and Creative Writing II courses, is currently the head of the club, and has been since she inherited it in 2004. The level I course is based on mainly using different genres and styles while the level II gets into a writing project that can potentially be a part of a novel. “Students need to have a voice,” Valois said when asked why the Creative Writing Club was such an important part of MWCC.
The magazine is published yearly, in the spring, and is free to students. The arts join forces for the magazine artwork with help from students in the Graphic Design department. Last year’s magazine had a psychedelic cover design done by Ian Cook. The magazine can be picked up in the Library and other communal areas of the school. All students are encouraged to submit their writings.
Along with the magazine, the club holds 1-2 events a year. This December an Open Mic is in the works. There are usually about 10 readers, an audience of about 25 students, and faculty members who attend.
Valois takes pride in her students and in the Creative Writing Club. She has been a writer all her life and has published pieces of her work. “It’s fun to get to do what I love for a living,” Valois said.
Comments are closed.