There are many important clubs and organizations for students to join on American University’s campus as a way to interact with their fellow college goers. Such clubs include sports teams, greek life and other clubs like the American University Beekeeping Society, Art Club at American University and American University PRIDE, to name a few. There are many more clubs that allow students to feel included and have a community while they are attending college. This semester a new student club was started and presented at a booth at the student involvement fair. The new club is Bookworms@ AU, a non-traditional book club meant to bring the booklovers on campus together.
Bookworms@ AU, according to their organization’s engagement page, states that the club’s mission “is to create a community at AU in which members can converse and communicate with those with common bookish interests.” They write, “The club will provide a space for people to talk about books with those who have already read them, to borrow books from others on campus, to read books with others, or to get recommendations. At its simplest, Bookworms at AU is a place to go to if you don’t want to read by yourself.”
The club was co-founded by President Mallory Horner (she/they) and Event Coordinator and Treasurer Ella Provins (she/ her). Both are freshmen at American University this year and couldn’t find anywhere on campus where they could share their love of books. So Horner posted an Instagram story about starting a book club. Provins asked the same question in a post online, and when she searched online for more information about a school book club, she came across Horner’s account. The two students started to direct message each other about starting the club. The two of them decided for Horner to be the president because she was the one who put the idea online first.
When starting Bookworms@ AU, Horner, and Provins brainstormed ideas about what to call the club, and they came up with the name Bookworms. According to Provins, “Bookworms is a common and fun name for people who love books and to read.” Horner and Provins felt that having Bookworms@ AU is something the school needs because they know a lot of bookworms and people who read on campus, and it is nice to have a space for people to talk about diverse book selections and give recommendations.
The process of creating the club for Horner and Provins was a new challenge for them. They had to find at least eight people willing to set up and be a part of the club and run it in accordance with the Club Council guidelines. Then they had to edit the club constitution four times. “I commend Mallory for doing that,” says Provins when discussing the process.
However, the biggest problem Horner and Provins have faced when forming Bookworms@ AU is that as freshmen in college, they can’t schedule as many meetings as they wish they could. Provins says, “I am happy that people are getting more recommendations from our Instagram and that the club is getting more people to read, but as a freshman, with all of my other commitments, I am not able to have as many meetings as I want.”
For Horner and Provins, there is now a certain level of responsibility that they are experiencing as two young female club leaders. They must organize events and get the club’s message out to bring in as many people as possible. Provins is currently making new systems to help run the club and invite new members.
For many people on campus who enjoy books and reading, there has never been a club like this for them. According to Provins, “It is important to find a community on campus. Not to hide from others. If you have a true passion that you have it is important to meet people like you and talk about it,” and Bookworms@ AU is hopefully going to be that place for the book-loving community on campus.
The club’s first meeting allowed American University book lovers to get to know each other and their favorite books. Everyone in attendance was book crazy, and in response to that, Provins said, “In places like this, you find people like that you didn’t know existed!” For the future, Provins says that she and Horner have many different plans for book-related activities for the members to enjoy, like shopping trips to bookstores around the D.C. area once the club receives more funding. Other ideas for club activities include special holiday events, pizza nights, and book-to-movie adaptation discussions.
Whatever the future holds for Bookworms@ AU, the club’s message and plans are a fun place for anyone to enjoy. Provins says to people wanting to join Bookworms@ AU, “It doesn’t matter. You could read sixty books a year or one book a year, it doesn’t matter. Anyone is welcome.”