On Wednesday, May 5, the Klein Collins Creative Writing Club welcomed Giuseppe Taurino – Associate Director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston and Contributing Editor at American Short Fiction – to its meeting. He was introduced by the club’s president, Katrina Machetta. 

Taurino offered advice to the members and spoke about writing techniques, the creative writing process and professional development in the field. He is an author whose work has appeared in Epoch, Green Mountains Review, The Potomac Review, and many other publications. He is also co-curator of the Poison Pen Reading Series.

Teachers Lisette Hewitt and Alyssa Drain are co-sponsors of the Club. They have facilitated the Club and aided students in the Creative Writing Class in the creation of the school’s first literary magazine, Metanoia. Club executive officers include Katrina Machetta, president; Serenity Hamilton, vice president; Sydney Lacer, secretary; Anabella Gramling, webmaster; and Zachariah Frogge, communications manager.

Members get to know each other by sharing their writing and styles. The members write work about their life experiences and use their imagination to produce creative pieces.

“I love being in the Creative Writing Club because it allows students to let our creativity loose with a group of people who all share the same love for writing.” sophomore Nadine Hamad said. “I have gained so much confidence in my writing, and it has significantly boosted my writing skills. I am so grateful that I found this club and it truly is a family, where I can challenge myself.” 

The club offers an outlet for creative expression for all types of creators, writers, and artists in the school. The Creative Writing Class and the Club are similar in their core and purpose, but the Club is student-led, versatile in its content, and expandable to include new agenda items not restricted to a set curriculum.

“The Creative Writing Club is such a great group of young writers. It is a joy to hear all the ideas of our students when they share their poems and stories,” co-sponsor Alyssa Drain said.

The officers create plans and make fun writing prompts for members to explore their strengths and weaknesses as writers and to develop their crafts and skill sets to become the next Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, or Maya Angelou.

The club has a few meetings left in this school year and will kick off a host of exciting activities in the fall semester. For more information, visit the Club’s website or stop by Room 615 to speak with co-sponsors Lisette Hewitt or Alyssa Drain.