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Less formal organizations like the Creative Writing Club and Writer’s Block course offer supportive environments for writers of all skills to write and practice. Students can also submit to Lions-on-Line, the literary magazine and contribute as editors, selecting pieces to be published. For students interested in nonfiction or journalistic writing, Dateline prompts students to write monthly articles for the school newspaper. And for students looking for a chance to practice professionalism and writing in a more career-relevant way, there are co-op opportunities as well. Each club, class, or co-op provides a different benefit for student writers, encouraging growth and community.

The Creative Writing Club began last semester. It is an informal group, and not technically an official club yet. Junior Ethan Geiger, the student leader, describes how in previous years many students were interested in beginning such a club, and that after working with Dr. Brian Whalen, the club was formed. Creative Writing Club, as Geiger attests, has been valuable for him as a writer by providing an “awesome outlet to write,” forcing him to take time out of his busy schedule as a student to write. Between the club prompts and peer discussions, he has improved as a writer.

The club is valuable also because it provides a community of student writers a space to bounce ideas off of each other, share drafts, and get to know other people who want to work together to write better. The flexible nature of the club means that students can attend whenever it works best for them, whenever they have time. A variety of students interested in writing gather at each meeting, whether participants have been writing for years or are just getting into it.

The environment is “a fantastic place with awesome people,” Geiger concluded. Creative Writing Club meets every other Friday in the Mosaic Room (in Harrington Center), from 2 to 4 p.m. The next meeting is Oct. 3. Any questions can be directed to Geiger at Ethan.Geiger@msj.edu. 

For students interested in creative writing, Writer’s Block is another great option; it is a repeatable, one credit hour class, meeting Fridays at noon. The pass/fail course is taught in two sections, one by Dr. Elizabeth Mason and one by Whalen. Each section provides students time to write, often with prompts, during class time and encourages students to discuss what they have written.

Many students return to take Writer’s Block semester after semester. Sophie Hirt is a senior at MSJ and is in her fifth semester of Writer’s Block. She has been in both sections and currently is Mason’s class. She appreciates how the class provides her time each week to think creatively and “stretch [her] brain.” Writer’s Block has, fittingly, helped her get around moments of writer’s block, encouraging her to “become a more diverse writer” and explore fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. A few of the pieces she’s written through Writer’s Block that she’s been most proud of include her poems “Friendship” and “No, I’ll Be Me.”

The community environment of Block also appeals to Hirt: “Having the opportunity to be
with like-minded individuals is such a gift. I love bouncing ideas off my peers and learning about
their writing styles, too!”

As a bonus, Writer’s Block is a Renaissance group on campus, meaning students who enroll in the course—a low-pressure “class” prompting students to write a little bit each week—get a $500 award each semester. Any students interested in the class should talk to their advisor when discussing class registration. To learn more about Writer’s Block, talk to Mason or Whalen.

After Creative Writing Club and Writer’s Block, there’s yet another way to engage with creative writing on campus: Lions-on-Line. Lions-on-Line is MSJ’s literary magazine, published in the spring and fall each year. Student editors select pieces submitted by their MSJ classmates to publish—including visual art, essays, poetry, nonfiction and fiction. Not only is the group a way to share one's work, but it is also an opportunity to practice the publishing side of writing.

Senior Maggie Utley says, “I want to go into the publishing field after I graduate, so being involved with something like Lions-on-Line where I get to read so many different genres of writing and help curate what goes in the magazine is really exciting to me. I also just love being involved with something that showcases new and emerging writers at the Mount.”

Lions-on-Line offers student editors an opportunity to help evaluate and curate writing, while offering MSJ writers and artists an audience. Since all MSJ students—including the student editors who vote on pieces—can submit to Lions-on-Line, the magazine also provides motivation for writers like Utley to hold herself to a high standard and take her writing even more seriously. Another appealing aspect of the group is its manageable time commitment; student editors spend maybe an hour or two reading submissions and tallying their votes for the pieces, and there is about one other meeting per semester. For a small-time commitment, being a staff editor for Lions-on-Line (and a contributor!) provides a meaningful chance to engage with other writers and their writing—and get an audience. For more information about the Lions-on- Line experience, talk to Mason.

However, not every student may be interested in creative writing. Dateline, the school newspaper, gives students an opportunity to practice more formal and structured writing, practicing creativity in a different genre while connecting with the MSJ community. Writers work with Dr. Buffy Barkley to brainstorm and guide their writing, publishing online once a month. Avione DeVond, a senior, transferred to MSJ last year and joined Dateline while taking a class with Barkley.

DeVond is part of something bigger than herself and is always meeting new people. Preparing for her articles has led her to talk with professors, athletes, and classmates, to see and be part of new parts of the Mount community. Contributing articles for the newspaper has helped her grow as a writer and has even aided her creative writing; observing everyday events and
details for Dateline articles has led her to include more of these details in her poems and short stories. Practicing nonfiction writing with Dateline is a valuable way to engage the MSJ community and improve as a writer. Any students interested in learning new writing skills by writing for Dateline should contact Barkley to get involved.

At the Mount, we “Climb Higher” and “Soar to New Heights.” Some students pursue more significant, formal writing opportunities on campus, like a co-op. This summer, Sebastian Isaacs, a senior, began as the communications intern at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse. Isaacs works with the communication department, writing articles for the website about what various Sisters are doing; he contributes to various internal and external publications, including Heartbeat, Charity in Motion, Intercom, and Update.

Isaacs explains how the opportunity has shaped his writing for the better--as he learned AP style for his articles, he practiced being clearer and more concise, and learned how to work, communicate, and collaborate in a professional environment. But besides practicing skills relevant to any career in newswriting and journalism, the experience also influenced how he writes creatively, informing his fiction and poetry writing strategies.

Of all the writing Isaacs has done, one article he is especially excited about is his article in Intercom about Sister Anne Darlene Wojtowicz, a courageous Sister of Charity who worked in Vietnam and contributed to Operation Babylift. Through the flexible, positive co-op experience, Isaacs reports feeling more career-ready and a better writer. That is the benefit of such an opportunity. For students interested in co-ops through MSJ, contact the Career & Experiential Education Center, in the Conlan Center.

Whether a student is interested in informal creative writing opportunities—like Creative Writing Club or Writer’s Block—and the community that surrounds it, evaluating student submissions alongside peers in Lions-on-Line, practicing different skills by writing articles for Dateline, or completing a career-focused internship, MSJ has plenty of options for student writers of all interests and proficiency. And it is still early in the first semester. Now is the time to get involved in these opportunities on campus!