Golnaz Taherian | Arts Editor
Featured Image: Jackson Donnelly and Alvin Wong break new ground with YU Write Club. | Golnaz Taherian
York University is a big campus and it’s easy to feel alienated. But there’s a remedy to that. York offers a variety of clubs and associations to help bring together students with the same interests. Joining these clubs opens the door for students to meet and connect with others who share the same passions.
YU Write Club is a creative writing club that aims to create a community space for writers to come together, make connections, and workshop and receive feedback on their writing. Budding young writers are welcome to head over to their office at 028 Vanier College, where they can receive both information about the club in general, as well as feedback on their work.
Alvin Wong, the president of this club and a passionate writer, notes that what sparked his interest in leading this club was “the absence of post-curricular activity or space for people interested in creative writing.”
Jackson Donnelly, the vice president, sees this club as a bridge that connects people to the literary scene at large. He helps Wong coordinate events. His interest in joining the club was to connect his passion for literature and bring it into his school life.
Community is the heart of any art scene. YU Write Club fosters young writers by encouraging them to share their work with other people to read. For example, YU Write hosts student-run readings, where people bring their work and peers give them objective feedback to help make it stronger. They also host pub nights where people can socialize beyond the workshop atmosphere. Mixing both a work and social aspect allows people to connect on a different level.
YU Write started to grow more once Wong and Donnelly hosted the Crossroad Literary Festival. Wong says: “that was when we brought the club from just on campus to branch out into the literary scene in the city.” The Crossroad Literary Festival is an annual on-campus event that connects students with local writers, agencies and publishers. The festival brings many high-profile guests in the writing and publishing industry together to talk about the industry and the future of creative writing. This festival provides a great opportunity for students to get acquainted with the industry, make connections and learn from professionals.
According to Wong, Crossroad is a great example of creative writing’s future. The club strives to link on-campus readings with the broader literary scene. In this way, it serves as a stepping stone for people after they graduate to follow their passion wherever their writing adventure may lead them.
YU Write encourages diversity and creativity. It provides a welcoming atmosphere for young writers of all tastes and styles to become part of a creative family.
