Unlocking club doors: Creating community with the Creative Writing Circle
By Reyam Jamaleddine, February 16 2025—
Creative writing is any kind of writing that veers from traditional writing styles, it’s a style of writing that contrasts academic and journalistic writing. Imagination, innovation, fiction and poetry are all elements of creative writing pieces. The Creative Writing Circle (CWC) at the University of Calgary provides a space for students at the U of C to explore, learn and share their writing. For those seeking an environment to experiment with different writing styles and their creativity, this student-led club provides just that with an atmosphere of support and collaboration.
This club isn’t just a safe space for those who are well-founded in their interest in writing, rather it is additionally open to all students regardless of their background or long-term pursuits.
“I know for a fact that some people are in programs where they want to have a serious profession. But at the same time, they want to have a writing persona. So I wanted to build an environment around making a safe space for everyone to just write,” said Emcher Sison, an education and english student as well as president of CWC in an interview with the Gauntlet.
The President of the club Sison, took over this executive position and made a decision to change the dynamic of the club. One that is more collaborative and welcoming beyond just the existing creative writing circle.
“I designed these games throughout all our events that are just writing games where they don’t have to feel like they’re being pressured into writing. But just, having fun and having to meet like-minded peers and co-creative writers, and maybe they can build friendships there that they can just share each other’s work,” said Sison.
Game nights are spaces where writers can have their personal writing shared and critiqued in group-based activities. In addition they offer writing nights where those who attend are given prompts where they can write in a game-like structure.
“We get to give them writing prompts, and they really love that because it gets to just enhance those creative writing juices in them, because I give them the prompt I give them, the character, they get to play games … they get to be inspired by what we give them … it’s just a safe space for everyone to just freely share their work, no matter what level they are,” said Sison.
There are also opportunities for writers who are apart of this club to showcase their work in a published manner, this writing is published digitally.
“What we do is we have a digital chat box that we release annually. So around March or April, where we get to ask our club members, or even non-club members to submit their works to us, we get to compile it, and then release it digitally,” explained Sison.
Creative writing seems to be an out of sight activity for most of the students on campus. The CWC aims to garner more campus attention and engagement with the craft of creative writing. It is a craft that can be enjoyed more thoroughly through structured and group-based games. The biggest challenge CWC faces is gaining a more captivated campus community.
“The challenges that we have so far is just that we are so so unknown in the community. That’s why I’m trying to boost all the posters, making sure that our posters are on every pin board in the campus,” said Sison.
To learn more about creative writing, or the Creative Writing Circle visit their linktree.
This article is a part of our Voices section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet editorial board.