By By: KATE LUCE
Staff Writer
kmluce@iu.edu
The English Club has been resurrected back to the IU South Bend campus for the love of all things literary. The club now regularly meets in DW 3001 on Thursdays at 6 p.m.
“We wanted to bring back the English Club because we wanted students to have a space outside of the classroom to discuss literature, go on fun trips, write their stories, poetry and create art and get feedback on it but not have to worry about grades,” said Eva Monhaut, English Club president. “It is all about broadening the creative space and community that is the English Department and making sure students across all majors also feel welcome and free to explore something which might otherwise seem foreign to them.”
The main goal of the English Club is to spread the shared love of English, but not limit themselves to the typical topics that a student might find in English classes.
“Most students hate that type of essay writing and they automatically associate the idea of English with writing long essays or reading Shakespearean poetry. While those are all great things that many may also enjoy, I hate seeing people miss out on fun opportunities because of bad associations. We want to show everyone on campus that the word ‘English’ denotes so much more than their W131 class,” Monhaut said.
Since the club restarted, the English Club has been planning for their future events. They plan on having a writing workshop for students writing pieces before the Student Writing Awards begins. They want to attend community events like book releases and signings, poetry slams, literary-themed movie nights and maybe some library-hosted events. Much like other clubs on campus, they plan on taking club trips to Chicago and other parts of the region.
On the other hand, they want to reach back to the community, sharing a love of English with not just the IU South Bend campus.
“We also want to host some of these events at local community centers, libraries and schools to encourage youth to explore the many components of writing, reading and creating art,” Monhaut said.
The club also wants to reach out to students who enjoy writing anything, and bring a community of students to explore their interests in an open, friendly environment. Often students are placed in English classes they might not enjoy, but the English Club is looking to hold activities that bring English in a new yet enjoyable light.
“While I think all clubs have something different to offer students, the community of the English Club is different because it begins to feel like a mini community of people that are all trying to explore new literature, topics, and activities together. Maybe you have never attempted to write poetry at all but you want to start in a friendly environment. This is why we are different, we give students those opportunities,” Monhaut said.
Anyone and everyone can join the English Club, it is not just limited to English majors or minors. The club meets in DW 3001 every Thursday at 6:00 P.M.
