Above: Students in the Creative Writing Community and Workshop at CSUSM

By Chris Giancamilli

Photo by Chris Giancamilli
Here at Cal State San Marcos, the list of activities available for students is always expanding. For those interested in the field of creative writing, the Creative Writing Community and Workshop (CWCW) offers a great environment to showcase your work and get an outside perspective on it. The group meets Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Craven 3701 and Thursdays 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Markstein 201.

At the meetings, students take turns sharing their completed works or works in progress with their colleagues. The rest of the group is then allowed to discuss the work with the author. Discussions include, but are not limited to, constructive criticism, themes, grammar issues, sentence syntax, what worked well, and what was lacking. The advice offered is meant to give the authors and poets a better understanding of how to improve their compositions so they have a good foundation for their future endeavors.

Anyone can join the discussions, whether they are a Literature and Writing major or not. New members are invited to sit in on the meeting and offer their advice. The group is very open with their deliberations, while still maintaining a friendly atmosphere.

Authors and poets are also allowed to ask the other members questions regarding their own works. These questions can include how to better explain a passage, uncertainties of word choice, or general concerns with the piece.

The works include short stories, poems, and excerpts from more lengthy literature. All types of moods and themes, from serious to playful, are welcome to be discussed. The group is given freedom of genre and content as well.
James Jones, president of the CWCW, said, “Our group is about taking writing from being simply a solitary activity to making it a community effort. We provide support by creating a community within which we can grow as individual writers while also providing feedback for and enjoying the work of our peers. To these ends, we organize events such as this week’s Student Reading Series as well as regular writing workshops and student publications, including our ‘Oh, Cat!’ literary magazine.”

The CWCW’s Student Reading Series will be held on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. in Commons 206. This free event features students reading their works to a public audience. The CWCW is not accepting submissions at this time. However, a second reading series will be taking place later this semester.