Do you enjoy writing fiction, non-fiction, poetry, scripts, or academic essays? Maybe you don’t like writing as much but you love correcting grammar and sentence structure.

If any of the above apply to you, VIU’s Creative Writing Association (VCWA) would love to have you. 

Commonly known as “CREW Club,” VCWA is a weekly meeting run by students in the Creative Writing program. There’s a large emphasis on workshopping students’ submissions, but there’s also time set aside to discuss writing opportunities, submission deadlines, and personal goals. 

VCWA wants to know their members’ goals for the year and help them get there, whatever they may be. Better grades, submitting to magazines, practicing public speaking, or even just writing more often are all areas VCWA hopes to help students with.    

Members are not expected to submit every week or prepare notes. The club is not meant to be an additional workload to students’ already busy lives. Instead, it aims to be a place to develop their craft.

Members are serious about exercising their writing and editing skills but also know it’s important to enjoy the process. 

“It’s more chill than expected,” VCWA executive member Jack Corfield says. “There’s no extra work involved. It’s fun, awesome, and worth doing.” 

Fellow executive member Ann Hoffmann says the club is a great way to meet people outside of classes. These people can end up being collaborators, your biggest fans, or important networking opportunities down the line.

Sharing personal writing is never easy, especially since COVID-19 has made it difficult to build strong connections with peers. VCWA is primarily in-person and hopes to foster new connections between its members that last far after graduation.

“[The VCWA] helped me get outside of my comfort zone,” Hoffman says. “I love creative writing and it’s cool to use what I’m passionate about to connect with others.”

There’s also plenty of creative diversity in the club workshops. All forms of writing are accepted for discussion, including animated television scripts, journal entries, and even songs. 

While workshops are a large part of the VCWA, Corfield hopes to branch out and host more events. Ideas on the table include inviting esteemed writers to give presentations, a reading series where student writers read their stories in a podcast format, writing contests for VCWA members, and hosting live readings for students to gain confidence and comfort in their public-speaking abilities. 

The VCWA meets every Tuesday in building 356, room 317 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

If you have any submissions for workshops or any other inquiries, contact VCWA at creativewriting.club@viusu.ca.