Having trouble finding a safe and welcoming place to share their writing, first-year students Cameron Sauder and Gabriel Piessens were disappointed. Now in their third year, the two have created the place they had always been searching for at Brock.
The Creative Writing Club, founded by co-presidents Sauder and Piessens in 2022, is the place for writers of every form to come together and share their art. “I write prose,” Sauder said, “but we’ve had poets, songwriters, screenwriters, and more come to our meetings.” The club is open to all students, including those just starting their journey as writers. It doesn’t matter what form or tradition you’re coming from in you’re writing, only that you enjoy it and want to meet like-minded people.
“[Gabe and I are] both writers and we had been looking forward to working with a group of like-minded people, but we never found it,” Sauder said about the creation of the club. As a result, Sauder and Piessens chose to create the space they had been looking for. “Writing can be a very solitary form of art, and tough to keep at in between the stresses of a university course load,” Sauder added. He and Piessens hope that the club can provide a space for writers to work on and share their work.
Meetings run once a week on Wednesdays from 10 a.m to 12 p.m in the BUSU Clubhouse. Meetings provide students with time to work on their ongoing projects or other works that fit the Creative Writing Club’s monthly prompt. The club also hosts discussion groups on topics such as imagery, dialogue or setting in the hopes of facilitating conversation that can help writers grow.
When it comes to events, last year was a very busy year for the Creative Writing Club. “For me, the opportunity to share my ideas and stories with a group of people who will listen is the best one the club provides,” Sauder said. Additionally, the team has put on poetry readings, travelled to Toronto for workshops and completed a writing all-nighter. They hope to bring back most of these events this year as well as run others.
“My favourite part of running the club is seeing the same passion for writing in others that burns in myself,” said Sauder. “Not only does the group motivate me to chase my own passions, but it also allows me to see other perspectives and art forms.” The passion and comradery of the team allowed Sauder to step out of his comfort zone and do things he never thought were possible.
“It’s helped me change the way I think about writing,” Sauder said. “It’s not just about churning out books. It’s about enjoying the journey and exploring yourself along the way.”
More about the Creative Writing Club and their events can be found on their Instagram @brockcreativewriting or their Experience BU Page.
