I felt so included and privileged when the Creative Writing Society at King’s selected me as Vice President in the first few months of my studies. It had been tough to feel included as I was living at home and only had 8 contact hours a week, but this society was so welcoming and kind that I felt at home virtually immediately. I felt so honoured to become President in my second year and still feel so happy when I go to meetings.
Creative Writing Society kind of does what it says on the tin. It meets twice a week, for a reading meeting and a writing meeting. The reading meeting offers a chance for writers to send in a short work (anonymously, if they would like), have it read to a group, and receive feedback. The committee and members work hard to offer positive criticism in a comfortable safe space. Plus, you are free to feedback on people’s work even if you haven’t written anything that week! I certainly did. The writing meetings are usually workshops run by the committee’s editor. They offer a chance for writers to explore and better their work and often offer the opportunity for communal writing. During the pandemic, all these meetings were still able to take place on the society’s discord server which works to connect all who join the society!
During more normal times, the society also collaborates with other societies (KCL Journal and Modern Music society, to name a few) and other institutions (UCL, Imperial, Eastside). These provide great opportunities to meet new people and also share your work. In fact, as a result of our collaboration with Eastside, a few members had the opportunity to perform their poetry on the West End’s Criterion Theatre and become published! It also provides opportunities for fun gatherings, pub nights, and, perhaps more importantly, the opportunity for you to publish your work in the society’s annual anthologies. You can check out the society’s most current anthology, In The Midst of It, on Amazon.
The society has developed a lot in the last few years. It has become a Gold level society and has been nominated for numerous awards at King’s Student Union Awards Night. Still, all in all, I’m not sure I would have traded my experience with Creative Writing Society for anything. It was the perfect place to feel supported and welcome when I was feeling down. I’m so grateful to it for the wonderful community it fostered and will continue to.
Interested in joining societies at King’s?
Join Creative Writing Society here.
Explore the societies available at King’s here.
Stay tuned for more society showcases!
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