For students who like to write, finding people who share that interest can be difficult. A new creative writing club at William Jewell College is trying to change that.

Three first-year students, Laura Zimmerman, Tommy Burk, and Slade Birk, started the Creative Writing Club this semester. What started as an idea in class quickly turned into an actual organization. The club meets every Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. in Jewell Hall 303. Meetings alternate between writing and sharing. Members are given a one-word prompt every other week and use it as a starting point for their own work. The prompts are intentionally open-ended, allowing everyone to take them in a different direction.

The club is not limited to one type of writing. Members can bring short stories, poetry or other creative work. The group also plans to try different poetry activities and use some meetings simply to talk about their writing.

On sharing days, members read their work to the group and receive feedback. Sometimes that means pointing out a grammar issue, but it could also mean pointing out what is working and what could make a piece stronger.

The club’s leaders said having a reason to write is part of what makes the group useful. “It’s hard to maintain it if you don’t have a deadline,” Laura said. “It’s helpful to share it.”

For the students involved, however, the club is about more than getting better at writing. They also see it as a way to meet people who are interested in the same things.

“I think it’s hard to find communities for art, and especially writing, because it’s not really seen as an art form in a lot of spaces,” Tommy Burk said. “I feel like giving you space for that is nice.”

The club is also working with The Hilltop Monitor to give members an opportunity to publish their work. The newspaper plans to create a new section on its website for creative writing, with the club potentially submitting one piece each month.

For now, the club is still figuring out what it will become. With only five members, there is plenty of room for new writers to join and help shape it. “It’s just super low pressure.”

And for anyone who has been meaning to write but never quite gets around to it, that might be reason enough to show up.

For many currently self-isolating at home, art has been a wonderful – and some would say necessary – comfort during the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this week, there is more local art to enjoy. Inscape, William Jewell College’s literary magazine, announced its 2020 release via Moodle April 22. The student-run literary magazine typically hosts an annual release party to celebrate the work of its student creators and editors. However, due to the current shelter-in-place order and closure of Jewell’s campus, festivities surrounding the print release were cancelled. Readers can view the online publication of 30 different pieces by student creators by visiting Inscape’s website. As well, those wanting a physical copy of the magazine can purchase one by visiting the purchase tab of the site.