Getting involved: the Literary Arts Club

 

If you’re like me, you may not know that much about the clubs of Yuba College. For me, it’s get in get out. But here is a club that has piqued my interest this semester.

The Literary Arts Club, advised by Kiara Koenig, is a small club of about ten members that has one goal: to “promote literacy in general to the community,” says Chloe Butcher, the club president of the Literary Arts Club.

The Literary Arts Club seeks to help anyone and everyone with literacy. They also hope to encourage people to find passion within the literary arts. To do so, the club has a website, The Haberdasher, where they post writing tips, blurbs, and interviews among other things.

Although most of their work is through the website, this semester, the club has held their 2nd annual Halloween Writing Contest. Participants could enter their 13 word stories, haikus, short stories, or spell poems. The contest was not only open to the Yuba College student body but to anyone who wished to. Jeremiah Looney, the club vice president, states, “Last year there were even submissions coming from around the world.”

Here are some of the winning entries from the contest.

Death’s Way

A loud, raspy scream
He took his last breath of air
Sounds of death echo
–by Saajan Kandola,
Andros Karperos Middle School

Flavoring

Cyanide in your soup you say?
I was sure it was almond extract.
–by Michele Reid, Yuba College

Goodnight, Mommy

Flesh ripping, blood dripping, eyes unblinking, yet she’s speaking. “Goodnight mommy,” says dolly.
–by Matthew Hadley, Yuba College

Now that the contest has finished up, they are hoping to come up with new ideas to involve the community more so with literature and what they would be interested in seeing the club do.

The Literary Arts Club is also working to put something together for a student workshop for WordSpring. WordSpring is a writing conference and as its name suggests, is held in the spring. The conference is a one-day event that takes place at Butte College. There is a variety of workshops that seasoned writers and even authors and poets gather and share experiences and advice with newer writers and the general public.

The members agree that people benefit from the club by obtaining a creative outlet and a place to be recognized for their work. People can also expand on their writing skills by getting feedback.

For its members, the sense of being around people with similar interests is a great reason to be in the club. Although they may have different opinions, they know that the club is a safe place to voice them and not feel excluded. And of course, they all enjoy helping and involving the community. “It’s a chance to expand the influence of literature,” says Looney.

Koenig also says that the club gives a chance to students to get involved and to build a variety of skillsets.

Next semester, Koenig will be teaching English 31B, an advanced creative writing class that will help students with the process of editing, revision, and publication. Students will have a chance to work on their own works of literature or poetry as well as an already published author. This class will tie in closely with the Literary Arts Club as the club will also hold similar duties.

So if you are looking for a way to get involved, the Literary Arts club is definitely one way to do so.

Note: This article was featured in the Winter 2015 print edition of The Prospector.