I wrote this to say goodbye to all the great members of the Writing Arts Club at Rowan University. I’m graduating in the Spring and the club is now officially in its first generation. 

When Drew Kopp first sent out an email blast asking students to come to the first Writing Arts Club, I was excited. I had transferred to Rowan University not too long before and desperately missed the sense of community I’d had within my major before hand.

There were ten or so of us at that first meeting and we all agreed to keep in touch over break–which of course we did not.

When I was voted in as President and Maggie as Vice President, there were only five members at the meeting. And then even less at the next meeting. Until, eventually, it was just me and Maggie in a reserved room working on homework–with special guest guest stars Colleen Nester, our secretary at the time, and Brian Wright.

It was disheartening, to say the least.

But this semester, Maggie’s last semester and my second to last semester, the club picked up. And I am so happy to have met each and every person who came through the door.
It was so great to teach people how to blog and getting people more comfortable with workshopping.

And as much as I complained, I am genuinely going to miss it all.

The power I mean.

Not you people.

Just kidding.

Well, I guess it’s time to wrap this up: bottom line–the community should come first. Writing is social. You need to talk to people to write believable dialogue. Your best writing will come from something that you share. And the more you get workshopped–the more you will be comfortable with it. Not only with talking about your work and having it critiqued but also with workshopping someone else’s work.

I hope I can come back to visit and find this club thriving and full of new and interesting members who are eager to explore themselves and their art.

Finally:

Make good art. – Neil Gaiman