By Madeleine Thompson
Living up to its reputation as a writing school, Kenyon has taken on a new outlet for creative writers. The Kenyon Writing Center Creative Writing Table (KWC-CWT) ﾗ pronounced “quick wit” ﾗ was recently approved by Student Council. It will provide writers with more feedback and friends in the pursuit of creativity.
KWC-CWT was started in the fall by Jameyanne Fuller ’14, but it only recently gained official recognition.
The group began as a single table in the Writing Center for writers to gather and discuss what they’re working on. It remains “informally associated” with the Writing Center, according to director Jeanne Griggs, but now meets in the old Writing Center on the third floor of Olin Library.
“I’m trying to say, ﾑWe all write, what do you write?’,” Griggs said. “And [KWC-CWT] is trying to encourage everybody who writes to come and read it out.” Griggs helped the group to secure the former Writing Center as a meeting space.
Fuller, now president, created KWC-CWT partially in order to generate more openness toward genres other than literary fiction. “Some of the other writing groups and activities I have found are a little exclusive to people who write something other than literary fiction,” Fuller said. “They sort of judge you.” KWC-CWT attracts around seven to 12 regular attendees ﾗ a higher number than Fuller expected.
Fuller described her group as “trying to create an atmosphere that is sort of a safe way for people to write and get critiqued.”
“We’re encouraging people to write by giving them a space to share their work,” she said. Several goals of KWC-CWT, according to Fuller’s latest all-student email, are to “maintain writing habits,” “gain experience reading your work aloud” and “form relationships with other writers.”
Griggs is certain the group provides something other writing outlets don’t, adding to the “informal” ways to bring awareness to the community of writers at Kenyon. “Everybody at Kenyon writes,” Griggs said.
KWC-CWT has held two workshops this semester, on “making languages” and “world-building”, and members plan to have more, covering everything from humor in writing to scriptwriting.
They have also spoken to Professor of English Sergei Lobanov-Rostovsky about teaching the basics of mystery writing, and they intend to branch out into “creative production aspects” of writing, according to Fuller.
By being recognized as an official student group, Fuller hopes to receive funding for trips to writing conventions and their National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) network, which provided pizza parties and support for the students trying to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Fuller also plans to consider revising the group’s name, which she acknowledges is somewhat of a tongue twister.
KWC-CWT meets on Mondays from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in the old writing center on the third floor of Olin.
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