The Creative Writing Society is back on the Oregon State Campus! Thanks to a couple of dedicated students who love to write, the CWS is now meeting once a week on Sundays in Batcheller 150 from 6-8 p.m. The Focus of the Creative Writing Society is bring together creative writers to help them in any and all writing, endeavors including workshops and involvement with the OSU Literary magazine, Prism, and NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The CWS to open to all majors!
Meet the Officers of the Creative Writing Society!
Name: Shanna Killeen
Hometown: Corvallis, OR
Major: English and Spanish
Year: Senior
Position: President
HC at Oregon State: What has been your favorite college moment thus far?
Shanna: Last year I got the chance to read a paper at one of OSU’s interdisciplinary conferences. It was a fantastic opportunity and a great learning experience.
HC at Oregon State: What inspired you to start/join the Creative Writing Society at Oregon State?
Shanna: I was in a creative writing class last winter. I got to talking with a couple girls in the class, including our former president, about OSU’s clubs. We realized none of us had heard about a creative writing club. We looked into it and found that there was no longer any official club, although there had been in the past, so we set one up. Later, another small unofficial group got in contact and joined up with us.
HC at Oregon State: Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
Shanna: I want to be a linguist and work to preserve endangered languages.
Name: Natalie McDonald
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Major: Ecological Engineering
Year: Junior
Position: Vice President
HC at Oregon State: Why should students who are interested in writing get involved with the CWS?
Natalie: Creative Writing Society is an amazing way to connect with other writers around campus. It provides a designated opportunity to actually write for those who feel like they don’t have time to devote to their writing, and perhaps more importantly, to get help on the projects they are already working on or looking to start. Additionally, CWS is a great way to make new friends, and provides a great mental break from school.
HC a Oregon State: What does a typical CWS meeting look like?
Natalie: A typical meeting generally consists of a 15 minute free write at the beginning, a discussion of current projects, going through a workshop, and lastly a solid combination of writing and social hour. Occasionally, it also involves eating lots of Cajun tots from McMenamins on Monroe!
HC at Oregon State: Tell us a fun fact about yourself?
Natalie: I am currently working on finishing my first sci-fi/fantasy book!
Name: Ethan Heusser
Major: English and Computer Science
Year: Sophomore
Position: Vice President
HC at Oregon State: What is your favorite part of CWS?
Ethan: My favorite part of CWS is our “workshop days,” where a member submits writing for the group to read and reflect on ahead of time. We then come together and dedicate a large amount of time (sometimes hours) to bouncing ideas back and forth as a form of constructive feedback. It’s really quite an exciting process, and it’s always satisfying to see someone put themselves out there and come away from the experience having learned something meaningful.
HC at Oregon State: What is your role with the CWS?
Ethan: I am a vice president, which basically means it’s my job to help with various administrative tasks and assist in the making of executive decisions. We’re a small group, so our officer team tends to work together on solving problems rather than delegating duties to isolated roles. In terms of my role with the CWS, though, I consider my place as an active member to be much more important than the title of my position.
HC at Oregon State: Tell us a fun fact about yourself?
Ethan: I’ve been told that I’m a descendent of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll).
Consider checking out a meeting or two this year, and get writing!