New Club Alert at USFSP!
Are you writing an academic paper? Do you enjoy reading and writing creative pieces? Then the Writer’s Club at USFSP is perfect for you. You may have seen the representatives marketing the club at one of the Harborwalk events held this semester. Although the club is new, founded officially in August 2013, the original idea began when John Funke, made the suggestion last spring during Dr. Trey Connor’s Advanced Composition (ENC 4311) course. Now Dr. Connor serves as the Faculty Staff Advisor on the Executive Board, along with President Amy Madden, VP Jonah King, Secretary Melissa Valdez, and Treasurer John Peccora.
During an interview with John Funke, a student at USFSP and Writer’s Club member, he shared that he has had a long passion for writing which dates back to when he first was able to read. In his youth, he would read fairy tales and then create his own spin off stories to share with others. Growing up in the Midwest, John points out that stories became a form of escape for him. When asked why he chose to begin the club, Funke says, ” The purpose of the Writer’s Club is to provide a supportive environment for students exhibiting a passion for writing, a club like atmosphere to share ideas and talents with like-minded and creative people.”
The club consists of a range of students. Some attend the meetings to share academic writing and receive feedback on their class papers. Others come to share any range of stories, poetry, or essays they are writing outside of the class room. Usually members share these stories in person but the club does make use of electronic programs to share and review writings online. In fact, the club has flexible meeting times for the busy student. One option is during the day, Wednesday at 3:30 pm, with another meeting in the evening, Thursday at 5:00 pm. Both meetings are held in the Coral Room in the USC, and both have the same itinerary and format. Some members choose to attend both meetings, although this is not required.
The club is still growing and currently accepting members. “I believe every writer wants to be read,” Funke says,” In this club, students are given the opportunity to participate in a growth oriented social environment to express and develop their creative talent.” If you are interested, join Funke, and other members at a weekly meeting. You can also obtain more information, and view the club’s page on Student Organizations, go to PeteSync, log in, tick the Organizations tab, go to Writer’s Club. The list is alphabetical, Writer’s Club is at the end of the list.
Continue to read the full interview.
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“I’ve harbored a passion for writing since shortly after I began to read. When I was in elementary school I used to write and tell stories, fantasies mostly, that my family and friends loved to hear. Fairy tales were fun to read, and I loved to read, but I began to write new stories and that was even more fun. My young imagination was alight with new ideas that were fueled by the many discoveries and escapades of boyhood. Expanding those ideas into fantastic journeys was like going on the great adventures myself. And those episodes were far more interesting than the actual experiences of my childhood in the Midwest. Throughout my youth, writing was a vehicle of escape. I could, at will, delve into a realm that allowed me, a farm boy, to enhance and even expand my world that was for the most part bound by cornfields and cow pastures.” John Funke.
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Q1. What is the purpose of the club and when was it established?
The purpose of the Writer’s Club is to provide a supportive environment for students exhibiting a passion for writing, a club like atmosphere to share ideas and talents with like-minded and creative people. We believe that academic collaboration increases productive energy and growth. With that principle in mind, an on campus club will provide the habitat, accommodations, and companionship to foster that growth. Our club will be open to all students at USFSP, with a primary focus on the achievement of academic excellence in the undergraduate curriculum. Our desire is to give and receive input from others, not to measure our growth and accomplishment, but to broaden our perspective and build our skills. We are greatly interested in participating in the evolution of others’ creative processes through constructive criticism, support, and positive motivation.
The Writer’s Club became an official Student Organization in August, 2013.
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Q2. What do you and the members do during the meetings?
It’s a bit early in our existence as a Student Organization on campus to summarize a typical meeting. Most of our initial meetings were organizational in nature. Over the past two months, meetings have settled into a casual constructive pattern. Members share an example of a piece they are working on, usually academic though sometimes it’s some other work in progress. Then a round robin discussion of the piece follows. The piece offered may be poetry, an essay, or a story a member wants to develop. Most of the meetings also include the presentation of new project ideas, brainstorming on those ideas, progress reports on existing club projects, and discussions on upcoming events that afford opportunities to promote the club and integrate with other clubs and organizations on shared issues of business and activities. The attendance at meetings is typical for a Student Organization. On average, 25% of the members attend the meetings. Some members attend both of the meetings held each week.
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Q3. What events do support or host throughout the semester?
The Writer’s Club has had a information table at all events on the Harborwalk. The club participates in as many activities as are available here on campus, including The Times Festival of Reading coming up this weekend.
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Q4. Who are the Executive Board members, or who established the club?
The Executive Board consists of four undergraduate students: President Amy Madden, Vice President Jonah King, Secretary Melissa Valdez, and Treasurer John Pecora. The Faculty Staff Advisor is Dr. Trey Conner.
The initial idea to create a writer’s club came to me with the discovery and use of Wiki and the PBworks hub that we were using in ENC 4311 Advanced Composition, a course taught by Dr. Conner last spring. Wiki is a collaborative writing work space shared by student writers to present their work while collectively examining, exploring, and learning from ideas put forth by their peers, and easily monitored by teachers. With this in mind, I thought if collaborative learning is an effective tool in the classroom, why then not apply it to writers outside that classroom? There are scores of students on campus who may not have access to a collaborating group interested in writing, students who have writing issues, questions, or often a project they would like to share. I imagined that in a club, a social setting, this would be an effective environment for those fledgling writers to grow.
During the spring semester 2013, I proposed the idea of a writers’ club to my classmates and professors and received support from everyone I approached. Then last summer I completed the required paperwork for the creation of an official Student Organization with the assistance of the staff in the Leadership Department in SLC. The process was intimidating at times, but the people in Leadership quickly dispelled my concerns, and by the beginning of this fall semester the club was a reality, a dream realized.
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Q5. What are your meeting times and location?
The Writer’s Cub has two meetings each week. Wednesdays at 3:30pm, and Thursdays at 5pm. Both meetings are held in the Coral Room in USC. The two meeting times and dates are meant to accommodate the busy schedules students maintain. The rationale is that one or the other time slot with be compatible with their available time. Both meetings run the same basic format and itinerary.
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Q6. How should students contact the Writers Club if they wish to get involved?
To view the club’s page on Student Organizations, go to PeteSync, log in, tick the Organizations tab, go to Writer’s Club. The list is alphabetical, Writer’s Club is at the end of the list.
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Q7. What is the audience you target for members?
I believe every writer wants to be read. In this club, students are given the opportunity to participate in a growth oriented social environment to express and develop their creative talent. Most of these students have the need if not desire to produce good writing for their various studies and their careers. Often an invitation to grow is all that is needed to boost a student’s confidence and increase their skills. I think this social environment is ideal.
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Q8. What is your favorite book or author?
Now this is the most difficult question to answer. I have no one favorite book or writer. I like variety. I’m afraid I’m a reading addict. From the popular 17th century writers, to Theodor Seuss Geisel, most any text will do. I settle for reading billboards while I’m driving, it’s all good.